Trump Has a Solution to End Government Shutdown

President Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, so that the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government, the AP reports. "THE CHOICE IS CLEAR—INITIATE THE 'NUCLEAR OPTION,' GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER," Trump posted Thursday night on his social media site, Truth Social. The filibuster is a long-standing tactic in the Senate to delay or block votes on legislation by keeping the debate running. It requires 60 votes in a full Senate to overcome a filibuster, giving Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority that led to the start of the Oct. 1 shutdown when the new fiscal year began.

Trump's call to terminate the filibuster could alter the ways the Senate and congressional dealmaking operate, with the president saying in his post that he gave a "great deal" of thought to the choice on his flight back from Asia on Thursday. The president declared the trip a success because of a trade truce with China and foreign investment planned for American industries, but he said one question kept coming up during his time there about why did "powerful Republicans allow" the Democrats to shut down parts of the government.

While quiet talks are underway, particularly among bipartisan senators, the shutdown is not expected to end before Saturday's deadline when Americans' deep food insecurity—one in eight people depend on the government to have enough to eat—could become starkly apparent if federal food aid funds run dry. The White House has moved money around to ensure the military is paid, but refuses to tap funds for food aid. In fact, Trump's "big, beautiful bill" signed into law this summer, delivered the most substantial cut ever to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, projected to result in some 2.4 million people off the program.