Speaker Johnson issues warning after Trump says GOP should end the filibuster

Happening right now, an emergency court hearing that could keep government food assistance going for 42 million of the nation's most vulnerable Americans. Snap benefits are due to stop tomorrow over a lack of funding from the government shutdown. Now, in its 31st day right now, a federal judge in Rhode Island is looking into a lawsuit that claims the USDA quote needlessly plunge snap into crisis, even though there are appropriated funds available that could and must be used for those benefits. The

agriculture secretary denies that claim, saying those funds cannot be used. President Trump is now calling for Republican senators to end the government shut down by getting rid of the filibuster, an idea known as the nuclear option. It allows legislation to pass with just 51 votes instead of the current threshold of six.

CNN's Jeff Zeleny is here with more on this. Jeff, how are Republicans responding to the president's call to end the filibuster?

Well, Brianna and Boris, Republican leaders in the Senate and, indeed, the House are responding with a resistance to this idea to change the rules of the Senate. And one of the reasons is, of course, for the short term in Senate. And one of the reasons is, of course, for the short term in the Trump administration, which the president is talking about, it may be seen as a good idea.

But in the long term, when Republicans are not in control of the Senate in some future year, perhaps, it would not be a good idea. So leaders of Congress are taking a longer-term view at this and, again, resisting the idea of changing these Senate rules. And I think that's a big part of why I'm here. I think that's a big part of why I'm here. I think that's why Congress are taking a longer term view of this and

again- resisting the idea of changing. These Senate rules- just a couple examples here. Of the reaction one coming from my- via Utah senator a John Curtis who wrote this on X earlier he said the filibuster forces us to find common ground- and power changes hands, but principles shouldn't, I'm firmly no on eliminating it. Of course, unclear how much common ground is actually being found here. But it was Speaker Mike Johnson, who, of course, is in the House of Representatives, that is not pertain to the

filibuster rules. He said that Democrats would take advantage of this in a future administration.

If the shoe was on the other foot, I don't think our team would like it. The Democrats, look, they've said what they would do. They would pack the Supreme Court. They would make Puerto Rico and D.C. states. They would ban firearms. They would do all sorts of things that would be very harmful for the country.

And the safeguard in the Senate has always been the filibuster.

So again, Speaker Johnson does not have a say in the Senate filibuster, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune does. He has long been opposed to changing the rules of the Senate and an aide in his office as he remains opposed to that.

So we will see how much the president actually keeps pressing on this, but that has been the one thing that really distinguishes the Senate from the House. It requires 60 votes to get major legislation through. Again, it is intended to breed consensus. We have very few recent examples of that.

STEPHANIE SY After being absent from the shutdown fight for days, President Trump is back here in Washington after an overseas trip. And he's not wasting any time. Getting back into the ring with Democrats or members of his own party for that matter.

Late last night, the president took to social media and called on Republicans to go nuclear and scrap the filibuster to bring the shutdown to an end. Let's go live now to CNN senior

reporter Annie Greer on Capitol Hill. Annie, how is the president's extraordinary demand here being received by Senate Republicans?

Well, the top Republican in the Senate, Leader John Thune, has been against this idea, and I just got a statement from his spokesperson saying that Thune's position has remained unchanged even after the President's fresh demands on Senate Republicans.

And that is because the 60 vote threshold in the Senate is really the bedrock of the institution. It's what requires both parties to have to work together on issues like government funding. Now, both parties have explored this idea of eliminating the filibuster at various points in time, but have always stopped short of doing it, because while it's nice, while you're

empowered to be able to pass your priorities more quickly. If you're ever in the minority, getting rid of the filibuster really eliminates any seat at the table that you may have. So take a listen to how leader Thune expressed his opposition to this just a few weeks ago.

There's, there's always pressure on the filibuster. Sure. Yeah. I mean, you, you know, you, you, um, there are folks out there who think that that that is the way we ought to do things around here, simple majority. But I can tell you that the filibuster through the years has been something that's been a bulwark against a lot of really bad things happening to the country.

So now the question is what Trump's demands are going to do to the beginnings of bipartisan negotiations that were starting to happen on Capitol Hill, really throws a wrench into the beginnings of goodwill that was starting to develop between Senate, Democrats and Republicans. But the Senate is not in session today. And the pressure to come to a deal to end this government shutdown is only mounting. The real pains of this shutdown are building.

Federal workers continue to go without pay. And, starting tomorrow, over 40 million Americans are going to lose their food assistance and start to go hungry. So the pressure is on and the president getting involved with this demand doesn't seem like there's broad appetite among Senate Republicans, but shows that he understands that the pressure to act and create an end to this stalemate is only building. Pamela. All right, Annie Greer, thank you so much.

You mentioned the filibuster. This is fascinating because President Trump didn't just kind of tweet like two words. He put an entire long post up. This is just part of it. It's 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.

This is something that the Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, told me recently on this program. Most other Republicans, even Mike Johnson, who isn't in the Senate, but has an opinion as Speaker of the House, just said this morning, he thinks that's a bad idea.

And how rare is that, that you're hearing from both Republican congressional leaders that they are not on the same page as Trump. And perhaps they'll hold the line on this one. This does feel to be like the one red line that Senate Republicans have, even when they have sort of complied with Donald Trump and his increasingly norms-breaking sort of actions over and over again.

The filibuster seemed like it was the one sacrosanct thing. Because it'll help them now, but as soon as Democrats retake the Senate, it's going to

be a nightmare for Republicans.

Absolutely. I mean, look, we had sort of the mirror image of this debate when Senate Democrats controlled, right? That they were, Democrats were constantly getting frustrated that they couldn't get things done. And there was a real movement, in fact, among the base of, is the filibuster almost a litmus test question? And you did have people like Kyrsten Sinema, Joe Manchin

say, wait a minute, you know, so there's always just that threat loomering of it could always be worse when the other guys are in charge.

It's an interesting test of John Thune, I think, in particular, as an institutionalist, someone who who worked under Mitch McConnell versus what his party is now, which is beholden to Donald Trump. And there will be a divide on this question. I mean, we'll see if they get rid of the filibuster. It's already been weakened over the years between the sort of Josh Hawley, Tuberville set,

and over here, the more establishment Thune-Murkowski set.

It's going real inside politics. Well, you know, you used to be Capitol Hill person. I'm trying to impress you, Dana. I love it. No, I said I love it. I love it.

Consider me impressed.

Thank you both. President Trump is calling on Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to end the ongoing government shutdown. There's been a long history on both sides for changing filibuster rules. How do you see this?

Be careful what you wish for. Be careful what you wish for. Be careful, Republicans, before you go, stepping in that direction. You're not gonna control the White House. You're not gonna control the Senate and the House forever. And I like the idea. I like the idea that it's built in,

that you've really gotta get, as a practical matter, 60 votes because, by definition, it causes people to compromise and have to make deals. And to throw that away and go the way the House of Representatives, believe me, when Democrats are in control of power,

they'll be doing things without having to get the 60 votes that Republicans will regret. I think they will, I'll make it simple, rue the day they do it. I'm not sure when, but at some point in the future. And I hope they don't.

Yeah, and we know framers of this country, they always wanted to protect constitutionally against the tyranny of the majority, right? And it goes back to that in our history, but it has been done before. We'll see what happens on this case. We'll see what happens on this case.

Michael Smirconish, thank you so much.