❓WHAT HAPPENED: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH) discussed the ongoing government shutdown and proposed a Republican-only vote to reopen the government and reform healthcare.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Sen. Moreno, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Senate Republicans, Senate Democrats, and consultant Liam P. Donovan.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Comments made on Wednesday evening with new revelations on the Democrat filibuster aims on Thursday, October 9, 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I would advocate to my colleagues, let’s make this a Republican-only vote, let’s reopen the government, let’s reform health care.” – Sen. Moreno
🎯IMPACT: While some congressional Republicans like Sen. Moreno and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are pushing to end the filibuster, longtime Republican Capitol Hill operatives worry the move may ultimately play into Democratic hands.
Some congressional Republicans are breaking ranks and calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to move for a Republican-only vote to reopen the government and reform Obamacare to avoid looming insurance premium increases. Senator Bernie Moreno (R-OH) floated the possibility during a television interview late Wednesday, while Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) echoed the idea in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday.
“Tomorrow, the Democrats can change this. They can vote—all we need is five Democrats. My point of view would be this: We have almost all Republicans on board. Maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster, we say, look, the Democrats would have done it, let’s just vote with Republicans. We’ve got 52 Republicans. Let’s go and let’s open the government. It may get to that,” Moreno said last night.
The Ohio Republican added, “[I]f they let this keep going on, I would advocate to my colleagues, let’s make this a Republican-only vote, let’s re-open the government, let’s reform health care. Because, look, the filibuster, it’s something that’s important, it’s institutional. Look at the damages, the real damage, where they can hold this hostage, Laura, for $1.5 trillion in new spending, health care to non-citizens, re-funding USAID, and abortions on demand. This is their agenda. The American people don’t support it. They want us to do our job, and maybe we do it only with Republicans.”
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene echoed Moreno’s comments Thursday morning, writing on X: “Senate Republicans CAN reopen the government by using the nuclear option, overriding the 60 vote rule. The Democrats will use it to ram everything through if they get back in charge and Schumer already tried it in ‘22.”
However, some longtime Capitol Hill observers warn that Republicans moving to end the filibuster may actually be the outcome Democrats desire most. After it emerged that Senate Democrats remain mostly unified in opposition to reopening the government, Liam Donovan—a former congressional staffer and executive with consulting firm Targeted Victory—argues: “They want Rs to nuke. They’d settle for a price. But that’s what this is meant to signal—nuke it, we’re not budging.”
The Democrats likely see Republicans ending the legislative filibuster as preferable in the long term, giving them carte blanche to push a far-left policy agenda should they retake Congress. Already, the filibuster—requiring a 60-vote threshold for final consideration of legislation—has been ended for judicial nominees and political appointees.
Image via Jewish Democratic Council of America.
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