New polling shows urgency to reopen government and rising support for a limited rule change to break the deadlock
Voters overwhelmingly say it is important to reopen the government quickly, even though most say they have not yet felt major personal impact.
Americans are divided on ending the filibuster to reopen the government, and while supporters prefer a permanent change, the broader electorate leans toward a targeted reform focused solely on passing budgets.
WHY IT MATTERS
Late last week, President Trump encouraged Senate Republicans to end the filibuster to pass the budget with a simple majority. Senate leaders are now negotiating a bipartisan plan to reopen the government. If talks fail, pressure to change the rule for budget bills could increase.
HOW TO USE THIS DATA
- Republicans should emphasize that Democrats voted 13 times against a clean budget that keeps the government open without new spending — while demanding $1.5 trillion more.
- Supporters of filibuster reform should frame the change as a limited step to fund the government and prevent future shutdowns, not a wholesale Senate overhaul.
Click on the image below to view the full presentation or read the summary below.
Urgency Growing
- 87% of voters say its important the government reopen quickly – 55% “very important” (up 11 points in 3 weeks).
- The largest gains in urgency are among black voters, Gen Z, and Boomers.
Most Not Feeling It – Yet
- 41% say they’ve been impacted at least somewhat; 57% say not much or not at all.
- Black voters (64%) and Gen Z (54%) report the highest impact; Boomers the lowest.
Context Shifts Blame
- Without context about the Democrats’ 13 votes against a clean CR and insistence on more spending, 39% blame Republicans, 29% blame Democrats, and 28% blame both equally. Blame for both parties is up since our October 10th poll.
- With context, Democrat blame rises to 35%, both drops to 23, GOP holds at 38%.
- Movement is smaller than in early October, suggesting opinions are hardening as the shutdown drags on.
Voters Split on Ending Filibuster—But Key Voter Groups Support It
- Voters are split on ending the filibuster to pass a budget with a simple majority.
- Republicans support it 46%–36%; Democrats oppose 36%–43%; Independents oppose 31%–38%.
- “Unconverted MAGA” voters back it strongly: 48–26.
Targeted Reform Earns the Most Support
- Supporters of ending the filibuster prefer a permanent change (45–39).
- But across all voters, the strongest support is for a limited change focused on budgets — with 45% backing ending the filibuster in at least some circumstances.
The Bottom Line
Voters want the shutdown resolved — and support grows for ending the filibuster when framed as a focused reform to pass budgets and keep government open, not a sweeping change to Senate rules.