Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says the votes “aren’t there” to eliminate the filibuster to reopen the federal government and pushed back on President Trump’s prediction that the shutdown will cost Republicans the 2026 midterm elections.
“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.
He made his comments after Trump warned on social media Tuesday that “Democrats are far more likely to win the Midterms and the next Presidential election if we don’t do the Termination of the Filibuster.”
Trump warned that unless Republicans eliminate the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance most bills through the Senate, “it will be impossible for Republicans to get Common Sense Policies done.”
“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.”
Thune, however, pushed back on that dire prediction Tuesday, arguing that the 35-day government shutdown will be a faded memory by next year’s election and that Republicans can run on the accomplishments of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, enacted 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.
Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is favored to win New York’s mayoral race Tuesday, and Republicans in Washington plan to make him the symbol of the Democratic Party in the run-up to next year’s election.
Mamdani has called for a rent freeze in New York, as well as for faster and “free” buses and city-owned grocery stores.
“We’re a year out” from the midterm elections, Thune said. “As you recall, in 2013 the government shutdown that year had [no real] impact on the 2014.”
Republicans were blamed for the 16-day government shutdown triggered by Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) bid to repeal the Affordable Care Act in 2013 but went on to pick up nine Senate seats in the 2014 midterm election.
