Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, who’s being challenged for reelection within the GOP, on Wednesday said he’s open to filibuster “changes” that would allow spending bills to pass the chamber without hitting the 60-vote threshold.
Cornyn’s comments, reported by The Texas Tribune, mark a significant shift for the senior senator, who for years defended the filibuster as a cornerstone of Senate tradition.
But with President Donald Trump urging Republicans to “terminate the filibuster” to end the weeks-long government shutdown, Cornyn signaled that a carveout for appropriations bills might be necessary to overcome what he called “the Schumer shutdown,” in reference to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
“The part that, to me, cries out for change, is the fact that we haven’t been able to do regular appropriations for a while,” Cornyn said. “Now with the Schumer shutdown, having a willful minority able to shut down the government any time they want — obviously we can’t tolerate that. I think that calls for some changes.”
Despite his newfound flexibility, Cornyn stopped short of fully endorsing Trump’s call to eliminate the filibuster altogether, as his Republican primary challengers have. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt of Houston both came out strongly in favor of abolishing the rule.
“President Trump is absolutely right that it’s time to end the filibuster,” Paxton posted on X. “Democrats will end it the moment they regain power to pack the courts, make D.C. a state, and erode our freedoms. Republicans shouldn’t unilaterally disarm.”
Hunt echoed the sentiment, saying ending the filibuster would allow the GOP to codify Trump’s executive orders and reopen the government without Democrat concessions.
“The voters delivered a mandate,” Hunt said on X. “They did not elect us to manage the status quo — they elected us to transform it.”
Trump, who has yet to endorse in the Texas race, has kept up public pressure on Senate Republicans to act.
“It’s time for Republicans to do what they have to do, and that’s terminate the filibuster,” he said during a breakfast meeting with GOP senators Wednesday morning.
Cornyn, who has voted repeatedly to reopen the government, told Newsmax on Wednesday that Senate Democrats are “testing the GOP’s resolve” by refusing to move forward on temporary funding.
He accused Schumer of “prioritizing politics over governance” and “appeasing the radical base” instead of ending the stalemate.
“Millions of people are being hurt,” Cornyn said on “American Agenda.” “Federal workers haven’t been paid, airports are slowing down, food stamp funding is at risk — and yet Democrats refuse to negotiate.”
Still, CBS News reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republicans “don’t yet have the votes” to eliminate or even modify the filibuster, despite growing frustration in the conference.
Cornyn’s measured shift could reflect both Trump’s influence and his own political calculus as he faces a restive conservative base in Texas.
Once a fierce defender of Senate norms, he now argues that Democrats’ use of the filibuster to keep the government shuttered “changes the conversation.”
If the standoff continues, Cornyn warned, “Republicans may have no choice but to consider reforms — because the American people expect their government to function.”
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