Republican advocates of the nuclear option mostly follow a zero-sum partisan logic: Better to escalate and grab as much advantage as possible before Democrats do the same. But the Senate filibuster is also part of the story. But Democrats would almost certainly have had enough votes to filibuster legislation authorizing President Donald Trump to use military force. Invoking the nuclear option could route more of the business of politics and governance through the legislature. But if Republicans nuke the filibuster, the next Democratic majority in the Senate will also be less constrained.

Source: Washington Post March 22, 2026 11:31 UTC