President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell arrive for the Senate Republican policy lunch at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on May 15, 2018. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times
The so-called nuclear option has been floated as a way to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of the Senate’s vote on a spending bill that passed the House on Dec. 20.
Currently, the Senate is composed of 51 Republicans and 49 Democrats; a spending bill needs 60 votes to pass and make it to President Donald Trump’s desk.
