Rep. Ashley Hinson, R-Iowa, who is running for the open U.S. Senate seat in her state in 2026, on Wednesday rejected the idea of eliminating the Senate filibuster to end the current government shutdown.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called on Republicans to "terminate the filibuster" and "get back to passing legislation and voter reform" in social media posts after Democrats collected a series of electoral victories across the country on Monday.
Hinson said on Newsmax's "Wake Up America" that she "worries what Democrats will do" if the 60-vote threshold is scrapped, and warned that Republicans would regret removing a procedural safeguard, only to face consequences when they are in the minority.
"There's nothing on the table we shouldn't consider," Hinson said, but added that abolishing the filibuster would open the door to court-packing, new states, and sweeping legislation.
Hinson said Democrats have already shown a willingness to push "$1.5 trillion of wasteful spending and benefits for illegals" during the shutdown negotiations, and removing the filibuster could open the door to more drastic measures.
"We talk about their proposal to spend $1.5 trillion just with this government shutdown," she said. "Then you look at stacking the court, or perhaps creating two new states with Democrat senators in those states.
"The second we take that step and go with the nuclear option, that's all on the table for them. And the pendulum does swing."
Hinson, who serves on the House Appropriations Committee, described preserving the filibuster as "telling the story to the American people" about why Republicans need to hold the Senate.
Hinson contrasted her position with those Republican voices calling for the so-called "nuclear option" to end legislative gridlock, stressing that her top priority remains reopening the government and advancing Trump's agenda while preserving the Senate's institutional role.
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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