Listen: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s interview with The Flag’s Scott Hennen
WASHINGTON – During the government shutdown, President Donald Trump said the Senate should get rid of the filibuster because if that were done, the shutdown wouldn’t have happened.
The rule requires 60 votes to pass most bills in the upper chamber. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate.
In an interview with Scott Hennen on The Flag, Secretary of Interior and former North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said if the filibuster went away, the Senate could pass 100 bills between now and the 2026 midterm elections.
“We could have all kinds of positive legislation to keep the momentum going and get our economy really rolling. If we don’t get rid of the filibuster, [the Senate] may pass zero bills between now and [the] midterms, Burgum said. “They were trying to block the progress of government by shutting it down. It’s not like they are going to work and try to make it work more efficiently.”
Burgum said when Democrats are in the majority in the Senate, they will get rid of the filibuster.
“The next thing we’ll have [Washington] D.C. and Puerto Rico will be states, we’ll have four more senators, they’ll stack the Supreme Court, Burgum explained.
