Sen. Ron Johnson is urging Republicans to eliminate the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster rule and move quickly to pass President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda if the GOP wins unified control of Congress.
Johnson issued the warning in a recent interview, arguing that Democrats would eliminate the filibuster “the minute” they had the power and would use that advantage to push what he described as an extreme policy program.
“The minute Democrats have the majority, they will eliminate the filibuster and they will do all those things,” Johnson said. “They purged the two members of their party that actually held the line and maintained the filibuster.”
Johnson claimed that every major Democratic Senate candidate has now committed to ending the rule.
“All of them now in the Senate have pledged to eliminate the filibuster. I cannot imagine a Senate Democrat candidate who also will not pledge to eliminate the filibuster,” he said, according to reporter Eric Daugherty.
Trump has also publicly pushed for ending the rule. Earlier this month, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Republicans should embrace the “nuclear option” to pass his administration’s priorities and end the ongoing shutdown.
“It is now time for the Republicans to play their ‘TRUMP CARD,’ and go for what is called the Nuclear Option — Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!” Trump posted to Truth Social. “Well, now WE are in power, and if we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying ‘SHUT DOWN.’”
Johnson argued that Republicans must be ready to match Democrats’ willingness to change Senate rules. “So we have to recognize that reality. If we eliminate the filibuster, we will do it so we pass good legislation to benefit Americans and America,” he said.
He listed border security, election reforms, rolling back Obamacare, and strengthening the economy as top priorities that could advance more quickly without the 60-vote threshold.
“It will fully secure the border, will secure elections, hopefully repair the damage of Obamacare, transition to a system that works, and have a strong economy,” Johnson said. “That is not what Democrats want. They want power.”