Bessent Aligns With Trump, Urges GOP to End Senate Filibuster if Shutdown Threat Returns

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has publicly aligned himself with President Trump in urging Republicans to eliminate the Senate's legislative filibuster if Democrats again threaten a government shutdown when spending decisions come up in January.

What Bessent said

In an opinion piece published Sunday, Bessent argued that Democrats used the filibuster to force a prolonged shutdown and called on Republicans to respond by ending the rule if the threat reappears.

“The American people are just now emerging from the longest and most devastating government shutdown in U.S. history. And while the blame lies squarely with Senate Democrats, we cannot ignore the weapon they used to hold the country hostage: the legislative filibuster,”

“In January, when spending considerations again come due, if Democrats once again choose to shut down the government, then Republicans should immediately end the filibuster,”

Political context

The Senate filibuster typically requires 60 votes in the 100-seat chamber to advance most legislation — a high threshold that matters because Republicans currently hold only a narrow majority. President Trump has said that removing the filibuster would allow the GOP to pass its agenda more easily and could secure electoral advantages for the party.

“The Democrats will do this [eliminate the filibuster], so if the Democrats are going to do it, I’m saying Republicans should do it before they get a chance,”

“If we do it, we will never lose the midterms, and we will never lose a general election, because we will have produced so many different things for our people, for the country, that it would be impossible to lose an election.”

Some Republican leaders remain cautious. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has described the filibuster as an important safeguard, even as the White House presses for its removal. "I understand desperate times call for desperate measures. I also understand that traditionally, we've seen that as an important safeguard," he told reporters in early November.

Interview and timeline

On NBC's Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker asked Bessent whether Republicans — including the president — have enough Senate votes to eliminate the filibuster. Bessent pointed to Jan. 30 as a potential turning point, saying his editorial was intended to put the Senate on notice after the recent shutdown.

“We will see come Jan. 30 because that’s the point of my editorial: to put the Senate on notice that the Democrats kept the government shut down,”

The debate over preserving Senate rules versus using parliamentary tools such as the so-called "nuclear option" to change them will persist as lawmakers prepare for upcoming funding decisions. Bessent's public alignment with the president makes the request from the executive branch explicit and raises the political stakes for Senate Republicans weighing whether to maintain or eliminate the filibuster.