Trump urges end to filibuster to reopen government as shutdown reaches 30 days

President Donald Trump on Thursday urged Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to force a simple-majority vote to reopen the federal government, pressing his party to use the so-called nuclear option as the partial shutdown entered its 30th day in Washington. Trump issued the call in a late-night post on his social media site after returning from a weeklong trip to Asia, saying Republicans should end the 60-vote threshold that now allows Senate Democrats to block most legislation.

The filibuster requires 60 of the Senate's 100 members to agree to advance most bills. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate and a narrow majority in the House, where Republicans hold 219 seats to Democrats' 213. With Democrats insisting that any stopgap funding include an extension of subsidies tied to the Affordable Care Act and Republicans refusing to negotiate until government funding is restored, talks have produced little progress.

Senate Republican leaders quickly rejected Trump's proposal. Majority Leader John Thune has repeatedly said he is not considering changing the filibuster, and his office on Friday reiterated that position. Other Senate Republicans, including members...