Let's talk about Trump and Bessent targeting the filibuster as Republicans cringe.... - Belle of the Ranch

[TexasTowelie]

Well, howdy there Internet people. It's Belle again. So, today we're going to talk about Trump and Bessent targeting the filibuster as Republicans cringe.

As the deadline for a budget approaches, Trump has decided to once again try to push the Senate into getting rid of the filibuster. Trump said that with the filibuster gone, they could do everything they wanted and said, "The filibuster is hurting the Republican party without question.”

The filibuster is a Senate rule that requires more than a simple majority to move most legislation through the Senate. In current politics, the idea is that the higher threshold creates more deliberation and reduces knee-jerk reaction bills. That's the reason for public consumption.

But there's another reason that's important to senators politically. The filibuster also means all of those ridiculous messaging bills that make it through the House are dead on arrival in the Senate. Those bills make it through the House because representatives only have to win a district. Senators run statewide and need a wider coalition to win. The filibuster immediately killing those bills saves them from having to take uncomfortable votes.

Beyond that, strategically, while the filibuster is annoying for the party in power, it's something both parties enjoy when they're in the minority. Senator Thune, the Republican Senate Majority Leader, has shot down Trump's desire to get rid of the filibuster in the past. And Senator Todd Young of Indiana said at the beginning of the month that "I know this has been an important priority for the president, but I think he has too many people telling him that this is achievable when it doesn't strike me as achievable. I don't think we're close to having the votes, just to be candid.”

But despite Trump's own party pushing back on the idea, Trump and his administration seem unwilling to let it go. US Treasury Secretary and former soybean farmer Scott Bessent drew a line to the upcoming budget fight and potential shutdown, saying, "The American people are just now emerging from the longest and most devastating government shutdown in US history."

He went on to point out the lengthy shutdown caused $11 billion in permanent economic damage. He tried to somehow blame it on Democrats rather than Trump's inability to make a deal, which is kind of hard to believe since Trump has both the longest and second longest shutdowns in US history under his belt. And considering the government has been shut down more under Trump than any other president, it isn't hard to find the common denominator.

But the real point here is that Trump is going to push this again. That means that Republicans who are still fighting amongst themselves over what they want in the budget will now also have to fight with Trump over the filibuster. Republicans in the Senate are unlikely to go for dropping the filibuster as they head into the midterms because while Democratic control of the Senate is unlikely, it isn't impossible and they know that eventually the control will flip. And when that happens, the filibuster is all they'll be able to count on to stop working-class people from getting health care or people in poverty from getting help. You know, things that the Republican party truly prioritizes.

Anyway, it's just a thought. Y'all have a good day.