<\/p>\n
Donald Trump<\/a> has floated the idea of ending the filibuster \u2013 a procedural technique in Congress<\/a> that allows a minority of senators to block legislation from passing \u2013 which would make pushing through his political agenda in 2026 much easier.<\/p>\n In an interview with Politico<\/a>, the president urged Republicans<\/a> in the Senate<\/a> to scrap the filibuster, saying it had become an obstacle to effective governing and removing it would prevent another government shutdown and pave the way for his party to push through its legislative priorities.<\/p>\n \u201cThe filibuster is hurting the Republican Party,\u201d Trump told Politico. He called on Republican lawmakers to eliminate it \u201cwithout question\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you get rid of the filibuster, you\u2019re not going to have a shutdown,\u201d Trump added. \u201cYou can do everything. You can do great health care if you get rid of the filibuster. We can do everything we want.\u201d<\/p>\n Scraping the arcane-sounding legislative device is sometimes favored by the party with a majority in the Senate, but opposed by the other because it allows them to use their minority status to block legislation from passing.<\/p>\n Senators typically back off from proposals to end it, because they don\u2019t want to get steamrolled by a simple majority when the balance of power shifts again. Centrists in both parties typically oppose ending the filibuster as a way to defend against partisan political excesses.<\/p>\n For Trump, who has 10 months before the midterm elections to push the Republicans agenda along, including requiring voters to present identification, raising the issue has a more immediate purpose: preventing another government shutdown.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you get rid of the filibuster, you\u2019re not going to have a shutdown,\u201d he told the outlet.<\/p>\n