(MENAFN- Live Mint) US President Donald Trump called for the "Nuclear Option" of scrapping the key 60-vote threshold required for the Senate to advance legislation. Trump's statement came as the US government has been under shutdown for over 30 days.

Doing away with the key vote threshold would mean eliminating a longstanding rule that allows 41 of the 100 senators to block any bill from debate or a vote - a procedural check on power that has been relied on by both parties in the past.

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The filibuster effectively forces Democrats and Republican to find bipartisan solutions.

"It is now time for the Republicans to play their 'TRUMP CARD,' and go for what is called the Nuclear Option - Get rid of the Filibuster, and get rid of it, NOW!" Trump wrote in a post to his Truth Social platform Thursday night.

"Well, now WE are in power, and if we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country destroying 'SHUT DOWN,' " Trump added in the post.

What is 'nuclear option' Trump is talking about?

The filibuster, a Senate rule that typically requires 60 votes to advance legislation, has long been a point of contention in Washington. It is a long-standing tactic in the Senate to delay or block votes on legislation by keeping the debate running.

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It requires 60 votes in a full Senate to overcome a filibuster, giving Democrats a check on the 53-seat Republican majority that led to the start of the October 1 shutdown when the new fiscal year began.

Trump pointed out that several Democratic senators, including those under then-President Joe Biden, had previously called for changes to the rule to safeguard voting rights and abortion access.

However, those proposals failed to secure full support within the party.

Trump further contended that Democrats would not hesitate to scrap the filibuster if given the chance to pursue their own legislative priorities, such as granting statehood to Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.

"Well, now WE are in power, and if we did what we should be doing, it would IMMEDIATELY end this ridiculous, Country-destroying 'SHUT DOWN,'" Trump wrote.

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He added, "If the Democrats ever came back into power, which would be made easier for them if the Republicans are not using the Great Strength and Policies made available to us by ending the Filibuster, the Democrats will exercise their rights, and it will be done in the first day they take office, regardless of whether or not we do it."

US government shutdown

The federal shutdown began on October 1. This meant no pay for thousands of federal workers and a stop to basic government functions across the US.

From grinding air traffic to a halt at some airports, to preventing the release of federal GDP figures, to unstaffed national parks, many basic government services across the United States have been affected.

Food stamps are rapidly becoming one of the most pressing points in the shutdown, with 42 million low-income Americans set to lose access to vital help with grocery bills starting Saturday.

Approximately 23.7 million SNAP recipients live in states that voted for Donald Trump in the last presidential election, while 18 million recipients live in states and districts that voted Democrats.

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The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the shutdown could cost the economy up to $14 billion.

It's unclear how removing a filibuster would work -- if the threshold for votes would be lowered, or certain bills could be made immune, or whether so-called talking filibusters could be revived, wherein Senators must give long speeches to prevent advancement of business.

In his first term, Trump unsuccessfully pushed to end the filibuster.

(With inputs from agencies)

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