Scott Bessent Puts Senate Dems on Notice If They Try to Pull Another Shutdown, But There's a Catch

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not hold back regarding what needs to be done if another government shutdown occurs. He penned an op-ed meant to put the Senate on notice. He explained why the Democrats shut it down in less than a minute on Meet the Press Sunday. It was exceptional, but this ‘break glass in case of emergency’ move should another Schumer-Jeffries circus come to DC might hit a snag (via WaPo):

By wielding the filibuster, which requires a 60-vote Senate supermajority to pass legislation, Democrats inflicted tremendous harm on the nation, including: $11 billion in permanent economic damage; an estimated 1.5 percentage points in lost GDP growth in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025; 9,500 canceled flights; and the paychecks of 1.4 million federal workers held for ransom by the left’s demands.
For generations, the filibuster has been romanticized as the Senate’s guardian of deliberation. In reality, it is a historical accident that has evolved into a standing veto for the minority and a license for paralysis. What once seemed like a dignified brake on hasty lawmaking now blocks even routine governance. It’s time for Republicans to acknowledge that the filibuster no longer serves the country — and to be prepared to end it.
[…]
In the modern era, merely threatening a filibuster typically forces a 60-vote supermajority to move legislation forward. Defenders of the filibuster argue that it ensures compromise, encourages bipartisanship and protects minority rights. That may have been true decades ago, but it is no longer the case now. Today, the minority party can abuse the filibuster to the point of rendering the Senate almost useless as a deliberative body.
Democrats themselves have recognized this phenomenon. That’s why, in 2013, Majority Leader Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster for presidential nominations other than Supreme Court justices. In 2017, Republicans followed suit for Supreme Court nominations. Each side justified its move as a response to unprecedented obstruction by the other. And each time, the Senate survived. The Republic did not fall.

The problem is that this fell on deaf ears in the Senate. Republicans were not keen on this and being an institution that prides itself in its history, tradition, and, of course, matters of procedure—I doubt this will be entertained. I’m also hesitant since I know we won’t be in the majority forever, and then handing power over to a party that’s become unhinged in the Trump era. Democrats would push for a parade of legislative horribles. They’re a party whose base enables or endorses political violence. Need we say more?

Bessent also addressed that concern:

Some Republicans hesitate to end the filibuster out of fear that Democrats will one day use that same power against them. But Democrats will use that power against them whether Republicans end the filibuster or not. GOP senators who defend the filibuster are ignoring basic game theory. As the classic prisoner’s dilemma shows us, in a repeated game, the player who always cooperates while the opponent who always betrays is doomed to lose.

What do you think?

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