President Donald Trump issued a stern demand to Senate Republicans Saturday, telling them they “must blow up the filibuster,” while also insisting that Democratic lawmakers were “cracking like dogs” out of fear amid the ongoing government shutdown.

Trump has increasingly demanded that Senate Republicans eliminate the filibuster – a procedural Senate rule that allows a bill to be blocked if it receives less than 60 votes – as a way to advance his agenda, which includes passing legislation to eliminate “transgender for everybody” and institute more tax cuts.

“The Democrats are cracking like dogs on the Shutdown because they are deathly afraid that I am making progress with the Republicans on TERMINATING THE FILIBUSTER!” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social.

“Whether we make a Deal or not, THE REPUBLICANS MUST ‘BLOW UP’ THE FILIBUSTER, AND APPROVE HUNDREDS OF LONG SOUGHT, BUT NEVER GOTTEN, POLICY WINS LIKE, AS JUST A SMALL EXAMPLE, VOTER ID (IDENTIFICATION). Only a LOSER would not agree to doing this!”

Republicans, however, have remained skeptical at the idea, with some voicing fears that doing so could open the door for Democrats to advance their own policy agendas should they regain the majority in Congress.

Trump has managed to sway some Republican senators, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), who recently told Raw Story that he was in support of anything Trump wanted. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has also backed Trump’s efforts, writing on social media this week that senators must “blow up the filibuster.”

Others, however, remain skeptical, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who, despite not having the authority to eliminate the filibuster as a member of the House,

openly defied

Trump on his request earlier this week.