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The ongoing federal government shutdown is set to become the longest in U.S. history, impacting federal workers and millions of Americans. Republicans and Democrats are deadlocked over issues including Affordable Care Act subsidies and healthcare benefits for undocumented immigrants. President Donald Trump has urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote majority to end debate on a bill. The ongoing federal government shutdown is poised to break the record for longest shutdown in the history of the United States, leaving hundreds of thousands of federal workers furloughed or forced to work without pay and millions of Americans facing loss of food assistance and other increasing hardships such as longer flight delays and the loss of heat assistance as winter approaches. The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1 when Congress failed to pass federal funding legislation. On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the U.S. Senate will vote on a short-term funding measure for the 14th time. If it fails, as of Wednesday this shutdown will become the longest the country has experienced, breaking the record of 35 days during a shutdown in President Donald Trump's first term. Republicans and Democrats have largely remained deadlocked. Democrat leaders insist on extending federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and reverse recent health care funding cuts that could force millions of Americans to go without, while Republican leaders say they want to prevent undocumented immigrants from getting federal healthcare benefits and tighten requirements. While some behind-the-scenes negotiation has reportedly been going on, Tuesday's measure is not expected to pass unless something changes. President Donald Trump has suggested a change: kill the filibuster. Trump urges Senators to go nuclear on the filibuster "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 on social media. Trump had also demanded that the filibuster be eliminated several times during his first term. Byron Donalds, a U.S. Representative and a candidate for Florida governor in 2026, also called for the Senate to abolish the filibuster. In a letter he sent to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. and posted on X. on Oct. 31, he described it as "a relic of a bygone area of bipartisanship that no longer exists" and asked that it be abolished to remove impediments to "bold, conservative reforms that restore prosperity, secure our nation and rein in Washington’s excesses." This is a reversal of his position in 2022, at a time when Democrats were in power, when he tweeted, "The filibuster must remain unchanged. Pass it on and tell your Senators." Thune has repeatedly told reporters he doesn't plan to abolish the filibuster. In January, just after Trump's second-term inauguration, he said it served "a crucial purpose." “The filibuster acts as a check on imprudent or ill-considered legislation," he said on the Senate floor. "It forces discussion and compromise.” What is a Senate filibuster? Under Senate Rule XXII, there is a 60-vote threshold to cut off debate on a bill (called cloture) so it can be voted on. In the public's mind, a filibuster suggests a lone senator talking until they collapse to prevent immoral legislation from passing, as in “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.” Senator Strom Thurmond, D-South Carolina, famously held the floor and talked for 24 hours and 18 minutes to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Democrat Cory Booker of New Jersey broke Thurmond's record this year with the longest speech in U.S. Senate history, speaking for 25 hours and five minutes against Trump administration policies, but technically it wasn't a filibuster since it wasn't blocking a bill. In October, Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon held the floor for more than 22 hours to sound the alarm on both the government shutdown and Trump. In practice, a filibuster means that at least 60 Senate votes are needed to conduct almost any Senate business since even the simplest maneuvers such as calling up a bill or recessing for the night are subject to debate. If a vote is tight, just one senator can block legislation from a vote. The threshold used to be higher. Until the rule was changed in 1975, a two-thirds majority, or 67 votes, was required. In the case of the government shutdown, GOP leaders are trying to send a House-passed bill to Trump to reopen the government until Nov. 21. But with only 53 Republicans against 47 Democrats, the majority needs a handful of Democrats to cross the aisle. What is the nuclear option? There is a parliamentary maneuver to abolish the filibuster for a vote in a sort of procedural coup that has been called the “nuclear option” because of how extreme it is, with lasting consequences. The nuclear option happens when the Senate leader calls a vote and then asks the Senate parliamentarian for a ruling on whether a filibuster is justified. A simple majority can then vote to override the parliamentarian and overcome a filibuster that would otherwise require a 60-vote majority. But that also sets precedent for future votes. When the late Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, led the chamber, he used the maneuver in 2013 to abolish the filibuster against executive nominees and lower-court judges. This broke up a logjam of Republican opposition to then-President Barack Obama’s nominees, but it also enabled some of Trump’s more contentious administration nominees to pass this year with slim victories. Republicans abandoned the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees in 2017 by invoking the nuclear option to confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch. The move opened the courthouse door to Trump’s two other high court nominees during his first term. Even Trump's fellow Republicans oppose ending the filibuster Republicans including McConnell and Sens. John Barrasso of Wyoming, Susan Collins of Maine, John Cornyn of Texas, John Curtis of Utah, James Lankford of Oklahoma, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have spoken against eliminating the filibuster. “Power is fleeting, and at some point the shoe will always be on the other foot,” Cornyn said when Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, was majority leader and considered ending the filibuster during the Biden administration. “The filibuster forces us to find common ground in the Senate,” Curtis said on social media Oct. 31. “Power changes hands, but principles shouldn’t. I’m a firm no on eliminating it.” How long can a government shutdown last? Until Congress passes the necessary appropriations bills to fund government services and President Donald Trump signs them, however long that takes. There have been 21 shutdowns since 1977, with an average of eight days each. The longest government shutdown was 35 days during Trump's first term, from Dec. 22, 2018 to Jan. 25, 2019, the third shutdown to happen during his administration. The president with the most shutdown days was Jimmy Carter, with 56. The president with the most shutdowns was Ronald Reagan, with eight.
