U.S. senators from Kansas oppose eliminating filibuster to advantage Republicans

Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, left, and Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas walk to a Senate Republican meeting Oct. 8, 2025, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Moran says a proposal from President Donald Trump to change Senate rules to eliminate the filibuster can backfire if Republicans lose majority control of the chamber to Democrats. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

TOPEKA — U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall of Kansas reiterated opposition to altering Senate procedure so President Donald Trump’s agenda could advance with simple majority votes rather than meet a 60-vote threshold.

Marshall and Moran, both Republicans, expressed concern such a change in Senate legislative rules regarding the filibuster could backfire if Democrats in the future had a partisan majority in the Senate.

Moran said he had rejected an idea broached in 2022 by U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, for ditching the filibuster barrier to gain traction for voting rights legislation.

“When Sen. Schumer proposed eliminating the filibuster, I opposed that idea, and my views on the importance of the filibuster have not changed,” Moran said. “The filibuster provides senators, even when in the minority, the ability to stop bad policies and forces us to find common ground to better serve our constituents.”

On Wednesday, Trump invited Senate Republicans to the White House to lobby for a rule change so the existing 60-vote requirement could be bypassed. The idea has been referred to legislatively as the “nuclear option.”

The GOP holds 53 seats in the Senate, while Democrats have 45 and the support of two Senate independents. Republicans need backing of seven non-GOP members to proceed with legislation, including budget measures tied to the federal government shutdown.

The U.S. House hasn’t been in session since Sept. 19. The U.S. Senate remains in Washington, D.C., but hasn’t reached consensus on a short-term funding extension allowing the government to operate normally.

Marshall told the NewsNation outlet there was no doubt ending the filibuster would help Trump’s agenda reach the finish line.

“If I had to vote today, I would vote no,” Marshall said. “I would vote to keep the filibuster in place, but I’m reserving the nuclear option. We do need to open the government. There needs to be a day and time when the Democrats quit holding these Obamacare Biden funds hostage and set America free.”

He was referencing demands by Senate Democrats for extension of soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies designed to control consumer health care costs.

“The Democrats very clearly feel the longer they keep the government shut down, the better they’re going to do next November,” Marshall said. “So, like we’ve always said, this is a political shutdown, and that’s why it’s so hard to solve. They’re using this as leverage.”