Amid Shutdown, Donald Trump Launches Crusade Against Senate 'Filibuster'

WASHINGTON.— As the United States has been paralyzed since October 1 by a new budget shutdown, US President Donald Trump is calling for a deep reform of the Senate. He wants to end the 'filibuster,' a parliamentary procedural rule allowing a minority to block the examination or vote on a bill. This stance revives tensions between Democrats and Republicans, at a time when thousands of civil servants are deprived of their salaries and several public services are halted.

The lack of agreement in Congress on the federal budget has led to the suspension of funding for numerous government agencies. Several social programs, administrative services, and public salaries are frozen. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), an independent body, estimates that this situation could cost the American economy up to 14 billion dollars if it persists.

'This situation is ridiculous and threatens to destroy the country,' warned Trump, believing that the blockage directly results from an institutional rule deemed too restrictive: the filibuster.

In the Senate, the adoption of a bill theoretically requires a simple majority of 51 votes. But to end debates and proceed to a vote, a qualified majority of 60 votes is necessary. This procedure therefore allows 41 senators, generally from the minority, to prevent a text from advancing. Used by both parties over the decades, the filibuster has become a strategic tool in political negotiations, often forcing compromise.

Today, despite their majority in both chambers of Congress, Republicans must convince several Democratic senators to pass a budget; a difficult condition to meet in a particularly polarized political context.

In a message published overnight from Thursday to Friday on Truth Social, Donald Trump urged his camp to abolish this rule: 'It’s time for Republicans to play their 'TRUMP CARD' and implement the Nuclear Option, in this case getting rid of the Filibuster, and getting rid of it NOW!'

During his first term, the former president had already unsuccessfully attempted to modify this procedure. This time, he asserts that eliminating the filibuster would immediately end the shutdown, without specifying the technical outlines of such a reform.

Several scenarios are mentioned: lowering the 60-vote threshold, restricting the filibuster to certain bills, or even abolishing it entirely for budgetary matters.

Abolishing the filibuster would constitute a major change in the functioning of the Senate, whose primary purpose is to be a chamber of moderation and dialogue. Many elected officials, including within the Republican camp, believe that such a reform would risk accentuating polarization and weakening checks and balances.

For now, no clear majority is emerging around this proposal. Budget discussions, meanwhile, remain stalled, leaving uncertainty about the duration of the shutdown and its economic and social repercussions.