MAGA Senator Says He ‘Hopes’ Planes Don’t Start Falling Out of the Sky

Sen. Ron Johnson said Sunday he “hopes” planes don’t begin dropping from the sky as the government shutdown stretches on.

“We had one senior Democrat staffer say we’re not going to open up the government until planes start falling out of the sky,“ the Wisconsin senator told Maria Bartiromo in an appearance on Sunday Morning Futures. “God, I hope that doesn’t happen.”

The MAGA Republican, 70, was referring to the air traffic controller crisis causing chaos for flyers. Air traffic controllers are resigning in droves as the shutdown has forced them to work without pay. Flights have been delayed or cancelled across the country as staffing shortages at airports have reached their highest levels since the shutdown began.

His ominous vision of “planes falling out of the sky” came as part of his argument for eliminating the filibuster, which would allow Republicans to force their budget to pass through a simple Senate majority. According to Johnson, Republicans have to eliminate the filibuster now because Democrats will do it eventually.

“Democrats will nuke the filibuster to maintain their power,” Johnson warned. “I wish the Democrats respected the filibuster. It’s a good thing for the institution, but they don’t. If we want to do good things for the American public, we better end the filibuster on our watch.”

Trump's Nov 9 Truth Social post — Trump has repeatedly demanded Republicans eliminate the filibuster, believing doing so would mean Democrats would never regain power. Donald Trump / Truth Social

Though Johnson warned that Democrats will nuke the filibuster to maintain their power in the future, such a move is precisely what President Trump endorsed so that Republicans could remain in power forever.

On Wednesday, Trump, 79, said at a breakfast with GOP senators, “If we do what I’m saying, they’ll never—they’ll most likely never—attain power because we will have passed every single thing that you can imagine.”

Republicans have been wary of eliminating the filibuster for fear of how it could backfire when Democrats retake congressional power, which they fear could be as soon as the 2026 midterms after the GOP was resoundingly drubbed in the 2025 elections.

Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, pictured October 16, have refused to back off their push for the short-term spending deal to address health care amid accusations from Republicans that Democrats are holding the government hostage. — Democrats have demanded the new budget bill include an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Republicans have refused to entertain their demand. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Democrats were in favor of altering filibuster rules during the Biden administration for legislation confirming fundamental rights like the right to vote and the right to have an abortion. Their efforts were blocked by now-retired Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema. At the time, Johnson was staunchly opposed to nuking the filibuster.

Republicans need 60 votes to end the ongoing filibuster about their government’s budget. They currently have 55, and Democrats signaled they will refuse to pass the budget until it includes an extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies.

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