>> Continued From the Previous Page <<
But with yet another funding showdown approaching, Bessent took his message directly to the American people. In a blistering Washington Post op-ed titled “It’s Time To End The Filibuster,” he laid out the economic wreckage the nation just endured after Democrats’ last shutdown stunt.
“The American people are just now emerging from the longest and most devastating government shutdown in U.S. history,” he wrote, highlighting the staggering economic hit — an $11 billion blow to GDP and 1.4 million federal workers sidelined. Bessent argued the disaster exposed exactly how dangerous the filibuster has become in the hands of a party willing to hold the country hostage.
“And while the blame lies squarely with Senate Democrats, we cannot ignore the weapon they used to hold the country hostage: the legislative filibuster,” he warned.
Bessent didn’t mince words on what must happen if Democrats repeat their tactics next month. He urged Republicans to act before the country gets dragged into another manufactured crisis. “In January, when spending considerations again come due, if Democrats once again choose to shut down the government, then Republicans should immediately end the filibuster,” he argued.
His op-ed lands at a critical moment. The government faces a January 30 deadline, and Democrats have already signaled that they’re willing to use the filibuster again if Republicans don’t bow to their demands. It’s a high-stakes showdown — especially since Republicans don’t control the 60 votes needed to overcome Democrat obstruction. Under the previous shutdown agreement, the GOP even agreed to vote on extensions of Obamacare provisions expiring under Democrats’ own reconciliation bill from the Biden years.
And Democrats aren’t exactly hiding their strategy. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has openly hinted that another shutdown may be looming if his party doesn’t get everything it wants.
Bessent’s appearance on Meet The Press only reinforced the urgency behind his message. Welker pressed him directly:
“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?”
“Well, we will see come January 30th, because that’s the point of my editorial, is to put the Senate on notice that the Democrats kept the government shut down,” Bessent replied.
The Treasury Secretary also pointed to a revealing moment from progressive commentator Ezra Klein, who admitted the left’s real agenda in a New York Times piece. According to Bessent, Klein “took the mask off.”
“He said, this wasn’t about healthcare. This was about ‘stopping totalitarianism,’” Bessent said.
Bessent argued that Democrats have exhausted every other path to stop President Trump and have now resorted to harming the American public for political theater.
“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 percent hit to the GDP, $11 billion permanent hit. They don’t care. So I believe that Senate Democrats, if they if Senate Democrats close the government again, that Senate Republicans should immediately abrogate the filibuster.”
As the calendar inches closer to January 30, Republicans may soon face the choice Bessent is pushing into the spotlight: let Democrats shut down the government again — or finally dismantle the tool they’re using to do it.
