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Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., warned Sunday that Republicans will be in “big trouble” unless they recognize that the next Democratic trifecta will “nuke” the filibuster to maintain power, insisting his party should employ the nuclear option to override the obstruction keeping the government shut down.
“Every last one of them in the Senate right now has pledged to nuke the filibuster. I can’t imagine a Democrat Senate or a Senate candidate not having to pledge that,” he said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“So when they gain power, and that’s what we need to prevent… they’ll nuke the filibuster to maintain power.”
Johnson agreed with President Donald Trump’s push for Republicans to go nuclear to override the filibuster, the Senate’s 60-vote threshold that applies to most bills in the upper chamber, to reopen the government.
JOHNSON WARNS AGAINST TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR SENATE TO GO ‘NUCLEAR’ TO END SHUTDOWN
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., arrives for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 3, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In recent years, either party typically holds the Senate majority by a slim margin, meaning the filibuster requires bipartisan participation for legislation to advance.
Democrats have called for an end to the filibuster, a move which would eliminate the minority party’s input and require a 50-vote threshold to pass legislation.
In the present case, more than half of the Senate approved the continuing resolution to keep the government open — meaning the absence of the filibuster would have prevented the weeks-long shutdown.
TRUMP URGES GOP TO ‘END THE SHUTDOWN’ BY GOING NUCLEAR ON SENATE FILIBUSTER
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks at the U.S. Capitol after the Democratic Senate Policy Luncheon on Oct. 7, 2025, alongside Sen. Amy Klobuchar, as the government shutdown continues. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
“We’ve got a lot to accomplish. You can tell by the way they’re obstructing. They are keeping government shut because they don’t want the economy to do well. They don’t want President Trump to get credit for these things,” Johnson said.
“So they will obstruct every good piece of legislation President Trump and Republicans want to pass, so we’d better act first. That’s the bottom line.”
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Johnson added that Republicans would use the 50-vote threshold for “good things” like securing the border, securing elections and “repair[ing] the damage done by Obamacare.”
“Democrats will use the nuclear filibuster to maintain their power. It’s all about power with Democrats,” he reiterated.
