On the evening of October 30, 2025, President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform with a dramatic demand: Senate Republicans, he insisted, should invoke the so-called "nuclear option" and scrap the filibuster rule to end the partial government shutdown that has now stretched into its 31st day. The shutdown, which began on October 1, is on the verge of surpassing the 35-day record set during Trump’s own first term, and the pressure on lawmakers—and millions of affected Americans—has reached a fever pitch.
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” Trump wrote, as quoted by BBC News and CQ Roll Call. His call to action was as much a warning as a demand. Trump argued that if Republicans failed to use their majority to eliminate the 60-vote threshold required for most Senate legislation, Democrats would do so the moment they regained power. “If the Democrats ever came back into power, which would be made easier for them if the Republicans are not using the Great Strength and Policies made available to us by ending the Filibuster, the Democrats will exercise their rights, and it will be done in the first day they take office, regardless of whether or not we do it,” he declared.
The filibuster, a Senate tradition dating back generations, requires most bills to attract 60 votes to advance. With Republicans holding a 53-47 majority, eliminating the rule would allow them to pass a funding bill—and potentially other legislation—without a single Democratic vote. But as BBC News and CBS News reported, this is far from a straightforward proposition. Senate Republican leaders, including Majority Leader John Thune and former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, have long resisted such a move, arguing that the filibuster is a vital safeguard for minority rights and bipartisanship. “One of my priorities as leader will be to ensure that the Senate stays the Senate,” Thune said back in January. “That means preserving the legislative filibuster—the Senate rule that today has perhaps the greatest impact in preserving the founders’ vision of the Senate.”
Despite Trump’s insistence, most Senate Republicans remain wary. The 60-vote threshold, they argue, forces compromise and prevents wild policy swings each time control of the chamber changes hands. “There are folks out there who think that is the way we ought to do things around here, simple majority,” Thune said earlier this month, as quoted by CBS News. “But I can tell you that the filibuster through the years has been something that’s been a bulwark against a lot of really bad things happening to the country.”
The shutdown’s impact, however, is undeniable and growing by the day. As CBS News and BBC News detailed, more than 40 million Americans risk losing access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting November 1, 2025, if the funding lapse continues. SNAP provides food aid to low-income households, and its expiration would leave food banks across the country bracing for a surge in demand they fear they cannot meet. “Nonprofits can’t possibly meet the tremendous new need that’ll be created when 42 million people lose access to basic food security,” said Diane Yentel, CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, in an interview with CBS News.
Thousands of federal workers have already missed paychecks, and the situation is becoming dire for many. Carlos Gomez, a federal employee in San Antonio, told CBS News, “I have a very large family, so it’s getting kind of hard. Whether the government is shut down or not, bills need to get paid.” The shutdown’s effects are rippling outward: growing fears of flight delays as air traffic controllers and airport staff work without pay, and the looming threat of children going hungry as resources dry up.
The political blame game, as ever, is in full swing. A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll released October 30 found that 45 percent of Americans blame Trump and congressional Republicans for the shutdown, compared with 33 percent who blame congressional Democrats. The numbers have barely budged since the shutdown began, reflecting entrenched partisan divides.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, at a Capitol press conference, expressed frustration but tried to deflect blame. “President Trump and his administration have done everything in their power to mitigate and reduce the harm to the American people,” Johnson said, according to CBS News. He pointed to efforts to ensure military paychecks and keep the WIC program for women, infants, and children afloat. But Johnson acknowledged a “breaking point,” warning that “Thanks to Democrats voting no on government funding, now 14 different times, SNAP benefits for millions of American families are drying up. ... You’re going to have real people, real families, you’re going to have children who will go hungry beginning this weekend when those resources dry up.”
On the other side, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins blamed Democrats for the SNAP funding crisis, calling it “a disgusting dereliction of duty unlike anything I have seen in all my years doing this work.” Rollins also took the opportunity to criticize the SNAP program as “bloated” and “dysfunctional,” saying the administration was working with states to remove “illegal aliens” from the program. She insisted that the $5 billion contingency fund could not legally be used to cover November benefits, as $9.2 billion would be required for the month and the law prevents its use without appropriations.
Legal battles are now underway. Two dozen states have sued to force the Trump administration to use contingency funds to keep SNAP running. The National Council of Nonprofits and other groups have joined in, arguing that the federal government must do more to protect vulnerable Americans. The White House, meanwhile, has announced that U.S. military personnel would still be paid on October 31, using funds redirected from military housing, research, and shipbuilding accounts—a temporary fix that underscores the desperation of the moment.
As the week closed, most senators had left Washington for the weekend, with bipartisan talks expected to continue behind the scenes. The open enrollment period for health insurance under the 2010 health care law was set to begin November 1, but Democrats and Republicans remained locked in a standoff over extending expanded tax credit subsidies. Republicans continued to insist that Senate Democrats must advance a House-passed continuing resolution to reopen the government for three weeks. Democrats, for their part, demanded that Republicans agree to extend healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans before any stopgap measure would be considered.
The filibuster debate is not new. During President Biden’s administration, some Democrats pushed to eliminate it to protect voting rights and abortion access, but ultimately failed due to opposition from then-Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema—both of whom Trump mentioned in his recent posts and who have since left Congress. Exceptions to the filibuster have already been made for judicial and executive branch nominees, but most legislation remains subject to the 60-vote threshold. Many Republicans warn that ending the filibuster could backfire if Democrats regain control of Congress, leaving the chamber vulnerable to rapid and potentially radical policy shifts.
For now, the Senate remains at an impasse, the government remains partially shuttered, and millions of Americans face an uncertain future. The coming days will test not only the resolve of lawmakers but the resilience of those most affected by the political stalemate.
