Nuclear option more attractive to some shutdown-tired Senate Republicans

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00:00Could Senate Republicans go nuclear to end the government shutdown?

00:03Every day that this goes on, every hour that this gets worse, the change of the filibuster

00:08looks a lot more reasonable to me.

00:10I'm just saying.

00:11President Trump is actively calling on Republicans to terminate the filibuster and reopen the

00:15government with a simple majority, meaning without Democrats.

00:18So what's holding them back?

00:20Well, once either party goes down this road, the United States Senate will change forever.

00:24This isn't just changing the threshold for votes.

00:27This is redefining this institution, redefining this country.

00:33So let's be clear.

00:34Senate Majority Leader John Thune wants the filibuster to remain.

00:37In addition, there aren't enough votes in the Republican caucus right now to abolish the

00:41filibuster.

00:42But that could change, so stay tuned.

00:44We're talking about the nuclear option.

00:47That's when the Senate changes the rules for approval from 60 votes to a simple majority

00:52for a specific function, like government funding or, in this case, a continuing resolution.

00:57The Senate has previously changed rules to allow a simple majority to approve executive

01:01and judicial nominations, in addition to budget reconciliation packages.

01:05There's reason to question allowing a willful minority to continue to shut down the government, now

01:13going on 37 days without any real end.

01:17So I think there may be a role to look at things like appropriations bills or continuing resolutions

01:23so we can at least reopen the government, because we can't tolerate the continued shutdown caused

01:31by Senator Schumer and Democrats.

01:34Beyond that, the filibuster has saved the country from a lot of terrible ideas when the shoe is

01:41on the other foot.

01:42But I think right now they're not the votes in the Republican conference to eliminate the

01:49filibuster.

01:50So as a practical matter, that's not going to happen.

01:54But I think the longer the shutdown goes on, the more likely people like me are going to

01:58be open to changing it in order to allow the government to reopen and relieve the American

02:05people from this senseless hardship.

02:07And when you say you'd be more open to changing it, would that be specific to CRs and funding?

02:13I think that would be certainly the place to start, yeah.

02:17Republicans are feeling pressure from two sides, the public and federal employees who are feeling

02:21the pain of the government shutdown, and President Trump who has repeatedly said the Republicans

02:26should abolish the filibuster.

02:27I think it's very important we have to get the country open and the way we're going to

02:30do it this afternoon is to terminate the filibuster.

02:34So far, only Senator Ron Johnson has endorsed President Trump's statement.

02:39Republicans have been outspoken about their opposition to ending the filibuster in the

02:42past.

02:43Now they're publicly musing about a rules change.

02:45Every day that this shutdown goes on, I mean, the arguments that the president's making

02:49get a lot more attractive by the hour.

02:52And when I, you know, every morning we talk to food banks across my state, what are their

02:56supplies today, how can we get them reinforcements, what are the churches doing?

03:00And it is, it is a crisis.

03:03So if you're going to tell me I have to choose between helping people eat or defending the

03:08rules of the Senate, I'm going to choose people eating.

03:11Those who support the filibuster say it's essential to ensuring new laws have consensus.

03:16They don't want legislation being rushed through by a simple majority.

03:20They want thoughtful and careful work on a bipartisan basis.

03:24Listen to how passionate Senator Tom Tillis became when we asked him about abolishing the

03:28filibuster.

03:29He said Republicans should never do it, and if Democrats decide to change it, that's on

03:34them.

03:35If they want to be recorded in history as being responsible for ever changing this country

03:40and destroying this institution, I want them to own that.

03:43I will not be a party to Republicans owning that.

03:47That's how strongly I feel about it.

03:48Change this and every two or four years you could have massive swings in tax policy, regulatory

03:54policy.

03:55As a business person, we're not differentiated anymore.

03:58People pay a premium to invest in the United States because we have certainty.

04:02We are thoughtful.

04:03It is hard to get bad stuff done here.

04:05And you know what?

04:06Almost every time bad stuff happens here is because it's on straight party line votes.

04:12I feel very strongly about this, and I also feel very strongly that we've got enough courageous

04:16Republicans to not take the heat of the moment and respect this institution and defend

04:22this country.

04:23I'm Ray Bogan for Straight Arrow News.

04:24For more unbiased reporting straight from our nation's capital, download the SAN app.

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