A new national NBC News poll finds 52% of voters blame Trump and Republicans in Congress for the ongoing shutdown, while 42% blame Democrats in Congress.

Republican candidates running in the 2026 midterm elections are ramping up for a campaign cycle in lockstep with President Donald Trump, their party kingmaker who's keenly invested in their races, which will determine much about how the latter half of his second term will play out.

The filibuster—a procedural move allowing senators to extend debates on bills indefinitely without a 60-vote majority—has long been viewed as a move to encourage bipartisanship in Congress and as a bulwark against political dominance by slim majorities in the upper chamber.