Trump Wants to Scrap the Filibuster Because He Doesn’t Care About the Republican Party

This is your TPM evening briefing.

Kate Riga

Emine Yücel

, and

Khaya Himmelman

Nov 06, 2025

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 29: U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (D-SD) returns to his office from the Senate Chamber at the Capitol on September 29, 2025 in Washington, DC. Thune, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) met with President Donald Trump earlier in the day at the White House to try and avoid a government shutdown at midnight September 30. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Fine! Scrap it!

President Trump has become an unexpected ally in the progressive quest to eliminate the filibuster, deciding that anger over the government shutdown catalyzed Tuesday’s blue wave.

“TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER, NOT JUST FOR THE SHUTDOWN, BUT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE,” he posted.

It’s become a nexus of consternation between him and Senate Republicans. Senate Republicans are displaying a unique refusal to accede to his whims because they plan to be around longer than he will be, and know that the filibuster a.) doesn’t stop them from doing what they want (they can still do tax cuts, judicial confirmations and reconciliation-passed benefits cuts) b.) does stop Democrats from doing what they want and c.) stops them from doing what they don’t want to do (abortion ban, ending vote-by-mail, any host of culture war red meat the base would demand that would backfire).

President Trump’s incentives are completely different.

For a while, the filibuster didn’t bother him — he amassed increasing degrees of congressional power to himself, and Republicans didn’t protest. He’s hardly bothered to use his trifecta, preferring to use executive action and the right-leaning judiciary.

But now, the filibuster is hurting his short-term interest. He thinks the shutdown caused him electoral pain, and could help Democrats win (at least) the House and impeach him, so he wants it to be over (far more than he wants to stay on message, and remember to blame Democrats). He doesn’t care that the arrangement disproportionately benefits his party, that it would be transformative for Democrats if they could actually pass a minimum wage hike, abortion protections, redistricting reform, campaign finance fixes, voting rights bills, environmental protections, on and on and on.

This is a tension we should expect to see reemerging after Tuesday served as a glaring reminder of Trump’s limited shelf life. If he can’t turn out voters when he’s not on the ballot, and he won’t ever be again, he’s a lame duck whether he wants to be or not. Senate Republicans, some of them decades younger than he is, see a life in the post-Trump world. And they don’t want to spend it caught between the wishes of a rabid, punishing base, and a desire to stay palatable enough to win reelection.

— Kate Riga

GOP: Open the Government and We Will Maybe Reverse the Layoffs

Republicans reportedly made an upgraded offer to Senate Democrats on Thursday as rank-and-file senators continue to negotiate a way to end the ongoing shutdown.

Republicans are now saying they would be willing to discuss rehiring federal workers who have been laid off during the shutdown as part of a deal that would reopen the government, Politico reported. The deal under discussion reportedly includes a new continuing resolution to reopen the government alongside a package of appropriations bills and a promise to hold a vote on extending the expiring Obamacare subsidies.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) confirmed to reporters Thursday that Republicans made Democrats an offer but did not detail what it included.

Politico also reported Thursday afternoon that Thune told Republicans in a private lunch that he plans to hold a vote on Friday that he thinks will serve as a path towards ending the shutdown. Per Politico:

The plan, the people said, is to bring up the House-passed continuing resolution that Democrats have repeatedly rejected and then seek to amend it with a new expiration date very likely in January as well as a negotiated package of three-bill full-year spending bills.

It is not yet clear if Thune’s latest plan would have the support of Democrats, though Politico reported that Thune believes the deal has enough support to move forward. Senate GOP leadership reportedly plans to keep senators in D.C. through the weekend.

— Emine Yücel

Illinois Plays Chicken With Indiana

On Wednesday, Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said that the state’s redistricting effort hinges on whether Indiana approves a new congressional map, NPR reported.

“We’re watching what Indiana does,” Pritzker said at an event on Wednesday. “We may have to react to that. It’s certainly something that people have considered here, and the legislature has considered here. But we’ll have to see what happens.”

He added that although he doesn’t think redistricting is a good idea, President Trump has backed Democrats into a corner. Many Democratic leaders of blue states are now considering redistricting efforts as a way to combat the Trump administration’s ongoing pressure campaign to redraw congressional maps in red states across the country, as a way to ensure Republicans maintain control of the U.S. House in the 2026 midterm elections.

“We’ve been looking at pairing with different states,” he added. “We don’t think that this is a good idea. The redistricting across the country — not a good idea. But, unfortunately, Donald Trump is trying to cheat. He thinks that redistricting mid-decade is okay.”

Last month, Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun announced that a special session centered on redistricting will convene on November 3. That session, Indiana House Speaker Todd Huston announced this week, will now convene in December.

California is the latest Democratic-led state to approve a redistricting measure as a way to offset similar efforts in red states. On Tuesday, California voters approved Prop 50, which will allow Californai to redraw lines in 10 California congressional districts, giving Democrats an advantage over Republicans in the midterms. This effort was introduced by Democrats specifically as a way to offset a Republican gerrymandered map in Texas.

— Khaya Himmelman