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Posted on 04/25/2026 12:59:53 PM PDT by SharpRightTurn
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is facing mounting backlash after effectively shutting down momentum to eliminate the filibuster—despite renewed pressure from Donald Trump and a growing number of Republicans who say the rule is crippling the party’s agenda.
Behind closed doors this week, Thune urged Republicans to stop even talking about ending the filibuster, siding with moderates who want to preserve the 60 vote threshold that has repeatedly blocked conservative legislation.
That position is now drawing fire from within his own party.
Trump has been crystal clear: get rid of the filibuster and start passing laws.
“I say, end the filibuster,” Trump said last month. “Terminate the filibuster. Just vote, and you’ll get everything you want.”
Instead, Thune is pumping the brakes—and critics say he is hiding behind process instead of leading.
“Reality is, the votes aren’t there,” Thune told reporters, brushing off calls for action. “The math isn’t there.”
That answer is not sitting well with conservatives who argue leadership is supposed to build the votes—not surrender before the fight even begins.
Sen. Mike Lee blasted the inaction, saying Republicans are out of excuses as Democrats continue to block key priorities.
“If nuking the filibuster is the only way to deliver on wildly popular legislation like the SAVE America Act, then we need to nuke the filibuster,” Lee said.
Others have echoed that frustration, warning that the GOP majority is meaningless if it refuses to use its power.
The divide inside the conference is now impossible to ignore.
Sen. Ron Johnson has argued that eliminating the filibuster would allow Republicans to pass legislation the public supports but Democrats are blocking. Meanwhile, Sen. John Cornyn has suggested the conference may need to “adapt” to changing political realities.
But Thune is drawing a hard line—no votes, no action.
That stance comes even as Republicans fail to advance major priorities.
A recent amendment tied to the SAVE America Act collapsed on the Senate floor after several Republicans broke ranks and sided with Democrats. Among those voting against it were Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and Mitch McConnell.
The vote failed 48 to 50—another example, critics say, of Republicans falling short even when they have a majority.
For grassroots conservatives, the pattern is becoming familiar: campaign on bold action, then cite “lack of votes” when it is time to deliver.
And at the center of that frustration is Thune.
As Senate leader, he controls the agenda, the messaging, and the pressure campaign needed to move reluctant members. Instead, he is signaling retreat—effectively taking the most aggressive tool off the table before the fight even starts.
Trump allies warn that if Republicans refuse to act now, they risk wasting their majority entirely.
The stakes are not abstract. Without filibuster reform, core pieces of the GOP agenda—from election integrity measures to border enforcement funding—face an uphill battle in a divided Senate.
The question now is whether Thune’s conference will follow Trump’s call to act—or continue down a path where Republicans hold power on paper but fail to use it when it counts.
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Exactly why I finally got the hell out of the party.
Thune has sided with the communists. What should happen to such a slime ball traitor?
Tar, feather, ridden out of town on a rail.
Rope.
Me too. Repubs are useless.
We all knew this jagoff was gonna be the yurtle 2.0.....and sure enough, he hasn’t failed to disappoint.
They need to end the filibuster yesterday! You know it’s the first thing democrats will do when they get in power!
Democrats will eliminate the filibuster at their first opportunity.
No worries, the democrats will kill it when they retake both houses.
And this is surprising because?
“They need to end the filibuster yesterday! You know it’s the first thing democrats will do when they get in power!”
Yes, the Dims know how to fight. And will fight. If Upchuck Schumer were in the shoes of Thune, he would have ended the filibuster in record time to push through some far leftwing legislation.
Uniparty = democrats + repub leadership + repub leadership suckups
Other than the president’s BBB, which Trump had to dilute to barely squeeze passage through the “Republican” Congress, just what, exactly, have they accomplished?
Thune another example of why the 17th Amendment was a terrible idea and should be repealed. Would a senator beholden to the South Dakota legislature behave this way?
Either the filibuster should be made part of the Constitution, or it should be eliminated and all the legislation Trump needs to do a proper job should be enacted.
Two Republicans could drop a bill in the hoppers proposing a filibuster constitutional amendment be sent to the states with a 06/30/2026 limit for ratification.
There are three political parties of relevance: the dems, the repubs, and Trumpsters aka maga.
The first two hate America.
THUNE IS A DEMOCRAT!!! OR ELSE A VERY GIRLY RINO!!! WEAK ....WEAK....WEAK...OR COMPROMISED!!!
I’d prefer a bit pf pain be administered first although rope would be a fitting end.
He needs to go in 2028. Among with Mikowski and Rand Paul.
Screw the GOP.
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