Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said the votes “aren’t there” to scrap the filibuster to end the government shutdown, rejecting President Trump’s warning that the stalemate could cost Republicans the 2026 midterms.
“Everybody knows the president’s position, that’s well-formed, well-established from his first term in office. His requests to eliminate the filibuster were numerous. But in the end, again, the practical reality is the votes aren’t there,” Thune told reporters Tuesday.
Thune’s remarks followed Trump’s social media warning Tuesday that “Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms and the next Presidential election if we don’t terminate the Filibuster.” Trump argued that without ending the 60-vote rule, Republicans “won’t be able to pass common-sense policies.”
“FOR THREE YEARS, NOTHING WILL BE PASSED, AND REPUBLICANS WILL BE BLAMED,” Trump typed in all caps. “Elections including the Midterms, will be rightfully brutal. If we do terminate the Filibuster, we will get EVERYTHING approved, like no Congress in history.”
— JD Vance (@JDVance) November 4, 2025
Thune pushed back on Trump’s warning, saying the 35-day government shutdown will be long forgotten by next year’s election and that Republicans can campaign on the successes of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July.
“In terms of the midterm elections, that’s going to be litigated on we passed a bill last summer that has 20 positive campaign ads in it that you can run on. We’re going to have a compelling argument to make to the American people, drawing a contrast with the different vision that the Democrats have, which I think will be on full display today with the mayoral race in New York City,” he said.
“We’re a year out” from the midterm elections, Thune added. “As you recall, in 2013 the government shutdown that year had [no real] impact on the 2014.”
