Tuberville Warns of More Government Shutdowns if Filibuster Stays

Senator Tommy Tuberville, a Republican from Alabama and a close ally of Donald Trump, recently shared his thoughts about the potential for more government shutdowns. He believes that if the Senate Republicans don’t take action to eliminate the filibuster, they could face four or five additional shutdowns.

“My big worry is this—if we manage to reopen the government now, they’ll just shut it down again. We’re looking at four or five shutdowns ahead of us,” Tuberville stated in an interview with video journalist Nicholas Ballasy.

The senator brought attention to the continuing resolution that the House is set to approve, which is intended to keep many government operations funded. However, he mentioned that this measure will run out by the end of January.

“It’s going to follow the same sad path. We need to sideline the Democrats here. We know what’s best for Americans. After all, President Trump received 70 million votes. Let’s take action and make the right decisions,” he urged.

Interestingly, Tuberville’s current take on the filibuster is a departure from his stance last year, when he had advised keeping the 60-vote requirement for passing legislation in the Senate.

Back in November, he emphatically told NBC News, “No. No. No. We definitely should keep the filibuster.”

Trump has been advocating strongly for the elimination of the filibuster, especially during the final days of the recent shutdown, hosting Republican senators for a breakfast meeting to push the idea personally.

However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) indicated last week that the votes simply aren’t there to remove the filibuster.

Republicans need a simple majority to use the “nuclear option” that would allow them to change Senate rules via a partisan vote, but it appears that at least a dozen Senate Republicans are opposed to this measure.

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