Southeast Asia Information Port (www.dnyxxg.com) – On November 5th local time, US President Trump addressed the government shutdown, urging Republicans to immediately end the "filibuster" and stating that "the bill should be passed tonight" to expedite the government's reopening.
Trump pointed out that the shutdown has severely impacted the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food aid, the airline industry, and the stock market, and claimed that the government shutdown is a "significant factor" in the election.
Previously, on October 31st, President Trump had called on Republican senators to use the so-called "nuclear option" to repeal the Senate's long-standing "filibuster" rule (requiring at least 60 votes to pass a bill) to break the current government shutdown deadlock. However, this proposal was immediately resisted by senior Republican officials.
Under current rules, the vast majority of Senate legislation requires at least 60 votes out of 100 seats to proceed. Although Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, they haven't reached the 60-vote threshold, allowing Democrats to effectively block bills through "lengthy debates." As of the 5th, a temporary funding bill aimed at ending the government shutdown had failed to advance in the Senate 14 times due to a lack of 60 votes.
Before Trump's renewed call to end "lengthy debates," Senate Majority Leader John Thune and several other Republican senators had already expressed their opposition. Thune argued that "lengthy debates" "have long protected the country from extreme legislation." Several Republican senators stated that abolishing the rule would open the door to a more radical agenda if Democrats were in power in the future. Some senators warned that if Republicans actually abolish the "lengthy debates" rule, they could suffer the consequences in future political transitions.
