Senator Ron Johnson warns GOP will be in ‘big trouble’ if party ignores Democrats’ plan to ‘nuke’ filibuster
Johnson argued GOP should use nuclear option to end government shutdown and pass Trump agenda
By Taylor Penley Fox News
Published November 9, 2025 2:22pm EST
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., warned Sunday that Republicans will be in "big trouble" unless they recognize that the next Democratic trifecta will "nuke" the filibuster to maintain power, insisting his party should employ the nuclear option to override the obstruction keeping the government shut down.
"Every last one of them in the Senate right now has pledged to nuke the filibuster. I can't imagine a Democrat Senate or a Senate candidate not having to pledge that," he said on "Sunday Morning Futures."
"So when they gain power, and that's what we need to prevent… they'll nuke the filibuster to maintain power."
Johnson agreed with President Donald Trump's push for Republicans to go nuclear to override the filibuster, the Senate's 60-vote threshold that applies to most bills in the upper chamber, to reopen the government.
In recent years, either party typically holds the Senate majority by a slim margin, meaning the filibuster requires bipartisan participation for legislation to advance.
Democrats have called for an end to the filibuster, a move which would eliminate the minority party's input and require a 50-vote threshold to pass legislation.
In the present case, more than half of the Senate approved the continuing resolution to keep the government open — meaning the absence of the filibuster would have prevented the weeks-long shutdown.
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