“If Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate, they must immediately go to a 51 vote majority, not senseless 60,” President Donald Trump tweeted this morning. | Win McNamee/Getty Images After health care failure, Trump calls for change to legislative filibuster 
 
 President Donald Trump responded to the failure of the Republican health care bill on Friday by calling for a change to Senate rules so that 51 votes are needed to pass legislation instead of 60 — even though the bill that went down early that morning had, in fact, only needed 51 votes to pass, but didn’t get them. 
 
 “If Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate, they must immediately go to a 51-vote majority, not senseless 60,” Trump tweeted, several hours after three Senate Republicans broke with their caucus to vote against the GOP’s scaled-down attempt at repealing the Affordable Care Act. 
 
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 The bill got 49 votes and needed 50, plus Vice President Mike Pence breaking a tie. 
 
 A few minutes later, the president followed up, acknowledging that the legislation up for a vote this week had needed just 51 votes under the process Senate leaders were using to pass it, but reiterated that he wants to see the legislative filibuster changed. 
 
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 “Even though parts of health care could pass at 51, some really good things need 60,” he said. “So many great future bills & budgets need 60 votes.” 
 
 Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said repeatedly that he has no interest in doing away with the 60-vote threshold on most legislation. And the GOP has struggled to pass its agenda outside of that. Three separate Obamacare repeal measures failed to garner 50 Republican votes this week. 
 
 The final “skinny” measure, which was regarded as the GOP’s best shot at passing something even as many members criticized it and said they did not actually want it to become law, prompted Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to vote no alongside all the Democrats and independents. 
 
 McCain, whose deciding vote came as a surprise, has called for Republicans to pursue health care reform in a bipartisan fashion instead of trying to push through a bill on a party-line, simple majority vote. ||||| Trump calls for a Senate rules change, but it would not have saved Obamacare repeal 1:32 PM ET Fri, 28 July 2017 | 00:52 
 
 President Donald Trump on Friday pushed the Senate to change its rules — even though the sweeping revision he proposed would not have saved Republicans' latestdoomed Obamacare repealeffort. 
 
 After the early Friday vote, Trump in a tweet called on the chamber to change procedures and require only a 51-vote majority on legislation — getting rid of the filibuster for bills. He contended that the Senate should do so "if Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate." 
 
 "Even though parts of healthcare could pass at 51, some really good things need 60. So many great future bills & budgets need 60 votes," Trump said in a subsequent tweet. 
 
 The president has called for the Senate to get rid of the legislative filibuster multiple times before, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed no interest in the change. 
 
 The Senate aimed to pass its "skinny" Obamacare repeal bill through the budget reconciliation process, meaning the measure only needed a 51-vote majority. Three of the 52 Republican senators defected in a dramatic floor vote on a procedural measure for the plan, sinking it by a 49-51 vote. 
 
 At least three separate proposals to approve some form of repealing or replacing the Affordable Care Act failed to get the support of 50 Republican senators. 
 
 Trump early Friday contended in a tweet that the senators who voted against the measure "let the American people down." He called for them to "let ObamaCare implode, then deal." 
 
 The president has repeatedly threatened to let the law collapse, and his administration has already taken some steps to undermine it. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rebuked him for the tweet Friday, saying Trump made a threat to "hurt innocent people" because he was "angry" about a political defeat. 
 
 Trump, who never held elected office before winning the presidency, has repeatedly expressed frustration with the pace of policy. 
 
 Other key measures such as government spending bills will require Senate Republicans to win over at least eight Democrats to reach 60 votes. ||||| President Donald Trump is once again urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to alter the chamber’s legislative filibuster rule. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo) 
 
 President Donald Trump slammed Senate Republicans on Saturday, tweeting that they “look like fools” and directly urging Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to alter the chamber’s rules so the party can pass legislation with a simple majority. 
 
 But a McConnell aide said it’s not going to happen. 
 
 The president began the day after he fired his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, the former Republican National Committee chairman with relationships on Capitol Hill, by attacking his party’s Senate GOP caucus after its members failed to pass a health care overhaul bill. 
 
 He also tweeted that Senate Democrats, if they had the chance, would change the chamber’s rules to pass bills with 51 votes. 
 
 In one of a handful of tweets that seemingly came out of the blue Saturday morning, the 45th president wrote that McConnell “must get rid of 60 vote NOW!” because that threshold to end debate and move to a final vote is “killing the R Party, allows 8 Dems to control country.” 
 
 He alleged that “200 Bills sit in Senate” and cannot be voted on, calling the situation “A JOKE!” 
 
 Republican Senate must get rid of 60 vote NOW! It is killing the R Party, allows 8 Dems to control country. 200 Bills sit in Senate. A JOKE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 Trump has on multiple occasions tweeted his support for ending the 60-vote threshold, including as recently as Friday morning. 
 
 In another rather confusing tweet on Saturday, Trump criticized the Republicans’ use of budget reconciliation rules — which allow for legislation to be passed with the 51-vote threshold he is advocating. 
 
 He wrote that “reconciliation is killing R’s in Senate,” then took his plea directly to the majority leader: “Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT’S TIME!” 
 
 The very outdated filibuster rule must go. Budget reconciliation is killing R's in Senate. Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT'S TIME! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 The majority leader made his stance clear in April. A McConnell spokesman on Saturday said his views have not changed. 
 
 “There’s no sentiment to change the legislative filibuster,” the Kentucky Republican told reporters then. Asked if he was committing to not changing the rules to end debate on legislation while he remained the GOP leader, McConnell replied: “Correct.” 
 
 “The entire Republican conference agrees with the leader on this,” the McConnell aide said Saturday. 
 
 Trump, however, disagrees. 
 
 “They look like fools and are just wasting time,” the president wrote of his party’s senators in a series of tweets that suggested he does not fully grasp Senate rules or its dynamics. 
 
 Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote majority NOW. They look like fools and are just wasting time...... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 He charged in another tweet that the 60-vote rule means “8 Dems totally control the U.S. Senate,” though it was three dissenting Republican senators who derailed McConnell’s efforts to pass a health care measure to start a conference committee process with the House to send a bill to Trump’s desk. 
 
 In the same head-scratching tweet, Trump contended that terminating the 60-vote rule to pass legislation with 51 votes would help the GOP “complete Healthcare.” 
 
 But no health care overhaul measure McConnell put on the floor this week got 50 Republican votes. 
 
 ....8 Dems totally control the U.S. Senate. Many great Republican bills will never pass, like Kate's Law and complete Healthcare. Get smart! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 The president also went after Senate Democrats, tweeting his certainty that if they regain the majority, “they would switch to a 51 majority vote in first minute. They are laughing at R’s. MAKE CHANGE!” 
 
 A Schumer aide said Saturday the minority leader opposes changing the rules to get rid of the 60-vote threshold. 
 
 If the Senate Democrats ever got the chance, they would switch to a 51 majority vote in first minute. They are laughing at R's. MAKE CHANGE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 ||||| Earlier this week, the political world was absolutely stunned when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) dramatically voted against the Senate Republicans’ “skinny repeal,” placing the GOP’s attempt to get rid of Obamacare on its death bed. This followed the passing of a motion to proceed with the debate but the sound defeat of a repeal and replace bill. 
 
 Well, President Donald Trump isn’t happy with the crash and burn of GOP health care reform, and he took to Twitter this morning to make his frustration known. And his ire was pointed directly at Senate Republicans. 
 
 In a series of five tweets, he demanded that GOP leaders change the Senate rules to get rid of the legislative filibuster so that anything can pass with 51 votes. 
 
 Republican Senate must get rid of 60 vote NOW! It is killing the R Party, allows 8 Dems to control country. 200 Bills sit in Senate. A JOKE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 The very outdated filibuster rule must go. Budget reconciliation is killing R's in Senate. Mitch M, go to 51 Votes NOW and WIN. IT'S TIME! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 Republicans in the Senate will NEVER win if they don't go to a 51 vote majority NOW. They look like fools and are just wasting time…… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 ….8 Dems totally control the U.S. Senate. Many great Republican bills will never pass, like Kate's Law and complete Healthcare. Get smart! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 If the Senate Democrats ever got the chance, they would switch to a 51 majority vote in first minute. They are laughing at R's. MAKE CHANGE! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 29, 2017 
 
 Of course, it should be pointed out that none of the health care bills that came up for a vote in the Senate this week reached a simple majority. 
 
 It will be interesting to see how Senate Majority leaders Mitch McConnell or other senior GOP senators react to this latest tweetstorm by the president. 
 
 [image via screengrab] 
 
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 Follow Justin Baragona on Twitter: @justinbaragona 
 
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– President Trump's proposed solution after the failure of the GOP health care bill Friday: Change Senate rules so that only 51 yes votes, not 60, are needed for legislation to pass. Trump has made this pitch before, though it would not have saved the GOP's health care bill overnight—it managed only 49 votes, with three Republicans joining Democrats in voting no. Trump followed up his initial tweet to acknowledge that fact, Politico reports: First tweet, 9:46am: If Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate, they must immediately go to a 51 vote majority, not senseless 60... Second tweet, 10am: ...Even though parts of healthcare could pass at 51, some really good things need 60. So many great future bills & budgets need 60 votes.... As CNBC explains, the Senate was using the budget reconciliation process to pass the repeal bill, which is why it only required a 51-vote majority. Trump has called repeatedly for the Senate to change the filibuster rules for all bills, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has so far disagreed.