The top Republican in the US Senate has pushed back on Donald Trump's call to scrap the chamber's filibuster rule in a bid to end the ongoing government shutdown, now entering its 30th day.

President Donald Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster and reopen the government after a monthlong shutdown, breaking with majority Republicans who have long opposed such a move.

The downside is it would amplify the yo-yo nature of today’s Washington, with each successive Congress undoing whatever the previous one had accomplished, assuming majority rule changed hands.