WASHINGTON, 1 November (H.S.): As the U.S. government shutdown entered its 30th day, the top Republican in the Senate on Friday rebuffed a public demand from President Donald Trump to eliminate the chamber's long-standing filibuster rule to force an end to the legislative impasse.

In a late-night post on social media, President Trump urged his party to deploy the Nuclear Option to break the deadlock that has shuttered the government since October 1. 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.

Abolishing the filibuster would allow the Republican's 53-47 majority to pass a government funding bill with a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes currently required for most legislation. However, Senate Majority Leader John Thune swiftly dismissed the idea. A spokesperson for Thune confirmed that the leader's opposition to changing the rule remains unchanged.

Many lawmakers in both parties, including some Republicans, fear that scrapping the procedural tool would erode a crucial safeguard for the minority party and could backfire if Democrats were to regain control of Congress.The shutdown began after Democrats refused to support a Republican stopgap measure, demanding the extension of healthcare subsidies for low-income Americans as part of any funding deal.

The stalemate has left thousands of federal workers without pay and threatened essential services.While a federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked the administration from halting SNAP food aid for more than 40 million people, the broader impacts of the shutdown continue to grow.

With most senators having left Washington for the weekend and no meaningful progress toward a deal, the shutdown—now the second-longest in U.S. history—is set to continue into its second month.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar