On November 8, 2025, President Donald Trump used Truth Social to claim Democrats are "cracking" over the weeks-long government shutdown and pressed Republicans to "blow up" the Senate filibuster — a day after Democrats floated a one-year extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies that GOP leaders swiftly rejected.
President Donald Trump on Saturday, November 8, called on Republicans to end the Senate filibuster, asserting in a Truth Social post that Democrats were "cracking like dogs" over the ongoing shutdown. He urged the GOP to "BLOW UP" the 60-vote rule to advance long-sought policies such as voter ID, adding, "Only a LOSER would not agree to doing this." An independent archive captured the post at 1:36 p.m. ET. (trumpstruth.org)
The push came amid a broader standoff on Capitol Hill. On Friday, November 7, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer proposed reopening the government with a short-term funding bill paired with a one-year extension of ACA subsidies and a bipartisan committee to discuss longer-term changes. Senate Republicans, led by Majority Leader John Thune, rejected the offer as a nonstarter, and Democrats said they would not back a funding bill without action on health care. (washingtonpost.com)
Republicans lined up against the plan on social media and in interviews. Sen. Markwayne Mullin called Schumer’s offer "dead on arrival" in a post highlighted by outlets covering the exchange. (dailywire.com)
Sen. John Kennedy criticized the proposal on Fox News, telling anchor Martha MacCallum, "God, please give me patience, because if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money," and calling the idea "the dumbest thing possible that won’t work," comments subsequently reported by Mediaite. (dailycaller.com)
Democrats have faced their own crosscurrents. In early October — roughly a week into the shutdown — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries dismissed a one-year ACA subsidy extension as "a laughable proposition," a stance he reiterated even as some Senate Democrats later entertained a shorter extension to end the impasse. Roll Call has since noted the quote in recounting Democrats’ position. (newsmax.com)
Trump’s latest call to end the filibuster has found limited traction in his party. While some conservatives have cheered the idea, Senate leaders have indicated there aren’t votes to scrap the rule. The Washington Post reported this week that Republicans rebuffed the suggestion even as Trump pressed for it publicly and in private conversations. (washingtonpost.com)
Democrats, who under President Joe Biden had members advocating to curtail or end the filibuster for major legislation, now oppose eliminating it while in the minority. Asked on CNN whether he still favored ending the rule, Rep. Jamie Raskin declined to back scrapping it and noted he does not serve in the Senate, according to the New York Post’s account of the exchange. (nypost.com)
The power dynamics are clear: Republicans control both chambers — Thune became Senate majority leader in January and Mike Johnson remains House speaker — and Trump is in the White House. Thune has emphasized preserving the Senate’s deliberative rules, underscoring the steep hurdle for any bid to end the filibuster. (thune.senate.gov)
With the shutdown now the longest on record, tempers — and stakes — are rising. Talks have produced little progress as each side trades blame and tests public patience, and the fight over the filibuster has become a proxy for the larger struggle over how, and whether, to legislate during the impasse. (washingtonpost.com)