Bessent: Republicans Must Nuke Filibuster If Dems Attempt Shutdown Again

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested that Republicans should end the filibuster if the Democrats attempt to once again shut down the government in January.

Speaking with Kristen Welker of NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Bessent was asked about the viability of ending the filibuster.

“You call for an end to the filibuster. In the past, leader Thune has said that it’s just not happening. There aren’t the votes. Mr. Secretary, do you believe that you have enough votes, that the president has enough votes to get rid of the filibuster?” Welker asked.

Bessent responded, saying that his editorial, which was published in The Washington Post on Sunday, was designed to “put the Senate on notice.”

“The Democrats kept the government shut down — and Ezra Klein in The New York Times took the mask off. He said this wasn’t about health care; this was about stopping totalitarianism. The Democrats haven’t been able to stop President Trump in the courts; they haven’t been able to stop him in the media, so they had to harm the American people — 1.5% hit to GDP, $11 billion permanent hit. They don’t care. So I believe that Senate Democrats, if Senate Democrats close the government again, Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster,” the Treasury secretary stated.

.@SecScottBessent: “If Senate Democrats close the government again [on January 30], then Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster.” https://t.co/IXTzdKMDwN pic.twitter.com/XqJNXuJeNo

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 23, 2025

In his Washington Post editorial, Bessent laid out the history of the filibuster, arguing that it is a relic that no longer serves its intended purpose. “Today, the minority party can abuse the filibuster to the point of rendering the Senate almost useless as a deliberative body,” he wrote.

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“Some Republicans hesitate to end the filibuster out of fear that Democrats will one day use that same power against them,” Bessent noted. “But Democrats will use that power against them whether Republicans end the filibuster or not. GOP senators who defend the filibuster are ignoring basic game theory. As the classic prisoner’s dilemma shows us, in a repeated game, the player who always cooperates while the opponent who always betrays is doomed to lose.”