Donald Trump eyes nuclear option with no end in

President Trump has shown his help for a controversial option that may help Republicans end the continued federal authorities shutdown, which is now in its first month.

During a Sunday interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, the president said he would help a “nuclear option” to end the federal government shutdown— “ending the filibuster.”

“I’m not going to do it by extortion. I’m not going to do it by being extorted by the Democrats who have lost their way. There’s something wrong with these people,” the president said about ending the shutdown and bowing down to Democrats’ calls for.

“If they don’t vote, that’s their problem. Now I happen to agree to something else. I think we should do the nuclear option. This is a totally different nuclear by the way. It’s called ending the filibuster. But to do that, he’d need Senate Majority Leader John Thune to change Senate rules,” the president added.

The federal authorities shutdown started on October 1, when disagreements over healthcare subsidies prevented the Senate from passing a funding invoice. So far, there’s no end in sight as Democrats have held firm in their calls for to prolong crucial health insurance coverage subsidies and to end Trump’s makes an attempt to cancel congressionally permitted spending before they approve a funds.

The filibuster is a parliamentary rule that requires 60 votes to approve a piece of laws in the Senate, which has 100 seats. By abolishing this follow, Republicans—who have 53 seats in the chamber in contrast to Democrats’ 47—would, in idea, find a way to reopen the federal government by a simple majority vote, that means they might not need the votes of Democrats on the healthcare subsidies.

However, most Republicans haven’t advocated for an end to the follow, arguing not only that it may give them less energy when they’re finally back in the minority, but also that it discourages compromise. Among the main voices against ending the rule is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has said his place stays “unchanged” even after the president has called for it.

It stays unclear precisely how many Republicans help altering the rule. However, to get rid of it, Senators would need to change the chamber’s Rule 22 with a two-thirds majority vote, which is unlikely. Another strategy could be to introduce a new interpretation of Senate guidelines without truly amending the prevailing directive.

Without the “nuclear option,” there’s still no end in sight for the controversial shutdown. So far, the Senate has voted more than a dozen occasions to reopen the federal government, all of which have failed, as Democrats maintain out for votes to secure healthcare subsidies.

Republicans have tried to body the shutdown as the Democrats’ fault. But apparently, a majority of Americans are blaming the GOP for the funding stalemate. According to a Washington Post-ABC News ballot launched last week, 45% of Americans mainly blamed Trump and the GOP for the shutdown, in contrast to 33% who thought Democrats have been accountable.