Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday said he is “optimistic” a deal to end the over four-week long shutdown could be reached by the end of this week. Both Democrats and Republicans are looking for an off-ramp as the government’s closure inches toward the longest in U.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune's stance on the filibuster remains "unchanged," a spokesman said, despite President Trump's call for the Senate to invoke the "nuclear option" to end the government shutdown.

Several Senate Democrats have already voted with Republicans to reopen the government, but Republicans only hold 53 seats and Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul has consistently voted to keep the government closed.

Trump’s ask comes after U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) asked Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster. She applauded Trump’s sudden directive, writing in a post that “This is what I called for from the very beginning.”

Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson said that enough Republican lawmakers signed on in his chamber to call a special session to consider gerrymandering the state's congressional map. It's not clear yet if the Kansas House has enough support yet,

Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, for Senate seats in Woodbury and Wright County could tip control of the chamber in the 2026 session.