Majority Leader Thune Should Put The Amendment Up For Two-Thirds Vote
Nov. 7, 2025, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government Executive Director Robert Romano today issued the following statement urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to put an amendment on the floor to amend Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate to reduce the requirement for cloture from three-fifths to a simple majority:
“The standing rules of the Senate say that in order to amend the Senate rules takes two-thirds of the Senate: ‘on a measure or motion to amend the Senate rules… [a] necessary affirmative vote shall be two-thirds of the Senators present and voting.’
“The President has called upon Senate Republicans to abolish the Senate filibuster rules, which currently requires a three-fifths majority to end debate, using the so-called nuclear option, whereby Senate rules are overruled on a simple majority vote. Senate Democrats attempted to do this in 2022 and failed. Today, several Senate Republicans appear unwilling to end the legislative filibuster in this manner, even to end the current government shutdown.
“However, a thoughtful debate on the filibuster might be just what the Senate and the American people really need. Most Americans appear unaware that it takes 60 votes in the Senate to pass a bill and the regrettable part of that is to ‘blame’ the government shutdown on the party in power, the Republicans, who without changing the rule cannot pass anything on a partisan basis. Democrats want Republicans to try and go nuclear to abolish the filibuster and fail — Democrats will be energized, Republicans divided and demoralized — but there’s another way.
“Instead, Senate Republicans who want to end the filibuster should bring up the motion under Senate rules and then everyone can very publicly debate it and vote on it, Democrats included. They say they want to end the filibuster. They just tried to do it in 2022 via the nuclear option. So make everyone vote on it. Call their bluff.
“Nationwide, Democrats in the Senate not in power will either be alarmed that their own party was voting to give ‘absolute’ power to President Trump, which might demoralize them instead in the 2026 midterms, while others will argue how longer term abolishing the filibuster will ultimately benefit Democrats when they win the trifecta. Make them go on the record explaining why it should always be 60 votes to pass funding bills and everything else. Then make commercials out of it to end the shutdown. President Trump can speak from the Oval Office to end the impasse. The bid might very well fail, only for Democrats to come back and do it later after 2028 or 2032 the next time they have the trifecta. But if there is truly bipartisan support to end the filibuster, then let’s do it by the rules and let’s get on with the business of making America great again. Maybe the filibuster is what’s holding the country back, or maybe the filibuster is the only thing saving it. But let the Senate decide. And then reopen the government.”
For media availability contact Americans for Limited Government at media@limitgov.org.
###