What to know on Day 36 of the government shutdown:
- The government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history on Tuesday night, surpassing the previous record set in 2019.
- Senate Republicans are heading to the White House this morning for breakfast with President Trump, who has in recent days repeatedly urged the Senate to do away with the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most legislation, which would allow Republicans to fund the government without Democratic votes.
- The Senate is not currently scheduled to vote on a House-passed measure to reopen the government today, after it failed to advance for the 14th time on Tuesday.
- Still, the contours of a deal to end the stalemate began emerging Tuesday, and senators expressed cautious optimism that a resolution remains possible this week. Some Republicans have said they expect Democrats to be more willing to vote to reopen the government following Tuesday's elections, but the party's election night victories may not inspire Democrats to end their fight soon.
Government shutdown now the longest in U.S. history
The shutdown became the longest in U.S. history on Tuesday night, eclipsing the record previously held by the shutdown of late 2018 and early 2019.
That funding lapse ended on the evening of the 35th day, when President Trump signed a bill to extend government funding for three weeks. The White House announced the bill had been signed at 9:23 p.m. on Jan. 25, 2019.
The current shutdown began during daylight saving time and has lasted through the change to standard time, meaning it passed the comparable length of time one hour earlier, or 8:23 p.m. on Tuesday.
Shutdowns are a relatively recent phenomenon, having only begun in their current form in 1980, when the attorney general issued a series of legal opinions saying it was illegal for government agencies to continue spending without authorization from Congress. There have been 15 shutdowns since then, including the current impasse.
Trump again calls for Senate to end the filibuster
President Trump late Tuesday called again for the Senate to do away with the filibuster, the 60-vote threshold needed to advance most legislation, as he is set to meet with Senate Republicans Wednesday morning.
"REPUBLICANS, TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER! GET BACK TO PASSING LEGISLATION AND VOTER REFORM!" the president said in a post on Truth Social.
In another post as the results of Tuesday's election rolled in overnight, the president continued his urging, saying, "Pass Voter Reform, Voter ID, No Mail-In Ballots. Save our Supreme Court from 'Packing,' No Two State addition, etc. TERMINATE THE FILIBUSTER!!!"
The comments come after he urged Republicans late last week to take "the Nuclear Option" to reopen the government without Democratic votes, and some on the party's right flank have likewise urged Senate Republicans to change the upper chamber's rules to end the shutdown. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune favors preserving the filibuster, and when asked about the president's repeated calls to end it earlier this week, he told reporters that he's spoken with the president, and "I think we all know his view."
The president responded to Thune's position in an interview that aired on "60 Minutes" on Sunday, saying "I like John Thune. I think he's terrific, but I disagree with him on this point."
"The Republicans have to get tougher," the president said. "If we end the filibuster, we can do exactly what we want.
Senate Republicans to attend breakfast at the White House
Senate Republicans are heading to the White House this morning for an 8:30 a.m. breakfast meeting with President Trump as the shutdown drags on.
Republican senators last met with the president at the White House on Oct. 21, when they joined him for lunch. The president was out of the country the following week, and some lawmakers say his return to Washington and renewed involvement in the shutdown fight increases the likelihood of a resolution, since the White House would likely be involved in any talks to reach an agreement.
