# Cloture **Cloture**, under Senate Rule XXII, is the only way to force an end to debate in a chamber that otherwise has no limit on it. A senator files a cloture motion, it "ripens" after an intervening day, and the Senate votes on it. If it carries, debate is capped and a final vote is guaranteed. That makes cloture the *real* vote. The [[Filibuster]] is not a speech; it is simply what happens when cloture fails. ## How the threshold changed | Year | Change | |---|---| | **1917** | Rule XXII adopted on March 8, 76–3, after a filibuster against arming merchant ships. Cloture required **two-thirds of senators present and voting**. | | **1975** | Lowered to **three-fifths of senators duly chosen and sworn**, which is **60**. | | **2013** | On Nov 21, Democrats used the [[Nuclear Option]] to cut cloture to a **simple majority for nominations**, except to the Supreme Court. | | **2017** | On April 6, Republicans extended majority cloture to **Supreme Court** nominations, to confirm [[Neil Gorsuch]]. | | **2019** | On April 3, post-cloture debate was cut to **2 hours** for most executive nominees and district judges. | | **2025** | On **Sept 11**, Republicans allowed **en-bloc** consideration of nominees, again by majority vote. | The 2025 change happened in three votes: 1. Cloture on a resolution to confirm a batch of nominees fell short of 60 (52–47). 2. The Senate voted **45–53** not to sustain the chair's ruling that 60 votes were required. 3. Cloture was then invoked 53–43. The new precedent lets **one cloture vote cover an unlimited number of sub-Cabinet, non-judicial nominees**. On **Sept 18, 2025**, the Senate confirmed **48 nominees at once**, 51–47. ## Where it stands The result is a split rule: - **Legislation still needs 60.** - **Every nomination needs 51.** - **Executive-branch nominees can now be confirmed in bulk.** The legislative filibuster survived its biggest test so far. On Oct 30, 2025, a month into the record shutdown, Trump called on the Senate to scrap it. Majority Leader [[John Thune]]'s office said his position was "unchanged," and other Republicans also opposed the idea. No change to the legislative threshold has been found as of Oct 1, 2026. **Volume.** In the 119th Congress, through Sept 30, 2026, senators filed **293** cloture motions, and the Senate held **291** cloture votes and invoked cloture **246** times (Senate Clerk). ## See also - [[Confirmation Pipeline]]: the nominations track where the 51-vote cloture gate sits - [[Filibuster]] · [[Nuclear Option]] · [[How a Bill Becomes Law]] · [[Reconciliation]], the budget route around cloture - [[John Thune]] · [[Mitch McConnell]] · [[Congress Hub]]