Trump says the Senate filibuster will "never" allow GOP to pass "great" legislation
President Trump admitted Friday that the 60-vote filibuster in the Senate is preventing Republican lawmakers from enacting their conservative agenda.
Mr. Trump blasted members of his own party on Twitter for not passing a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare after campaigning on that promise for seven years. He went on to say that the filibuster in the Senate is the GOP's main obstacle.
The president continued by urging Republicans to start work on a tax reform package immediately -- before the end of the month.
Senate Republicans would like to use a budgetary tool known as reconciliation to enable them to pass a tax overhaul bill with 51 votes, rather than 60.
They tried to use reconciliation to pass their Obamacare repeal in July but fell short by a vote, and the Senate parliamentarian ruled last week that their ability to use reconciliation for a repeal bill expires at the end of September. Senate Republicans could try again in fiscal 2018, though, should Congress pass a budget resolution.
Mr. Trump has occasionally called on Republicans to eliminate the filibuster for major legislation, but Republican leaders have made it clear that's not an option.
The president's tweets come after he sided with Democrats this week in a debate over how long to extend the debt limit. He agreed to a package that provided aid for the Hurricane Harvey relief effort and a three-month extension of the debt ceiling and government funding.
