Trump’s Proposal to End Government Shutdown: Change the Rules

“Republicans Should Go to 51% (Nuclear Option)”

Donald Trump began his Sunday morning with a proposal for ending the government shutdown, now in its second day: change the Senate rules.

“Great to see how hard Republicans are fighting for our Military and Safety at the Border,” the president wrote. “The Dems just want illegal immigrants to pour into our nation unchecked. If stalemate continues, Republicans should go to 51% (Nuclear Option) and vote on real, long term budget, no C.R.’s!”

The suggestion is one the president has called for several times in the past year. Last February, he called for Mitch McConnell to “go nuclear” to confirm Neil Gorsuch.

As NCRM reported at the time, invoking the nuclear option could demote the Senate from being a deliberative body responsible for being a check on the executive and judicial branches, as well as on the rashness of the House, to being a rubber stamp on extremism and populism.

Despite the president’s “Art of the Deal” plan to simply change Senate rules, the White House released official photos of him “working in the White House during the Democrat shutdown” late Saturday.

Of note, the Senate vote for the continuing-resolution which would have funded the government for four weeks, was not a party-line vote. Five Democrats voted in favor of the bill, four Republicans voted against it.