Subject: Re: Why can't reps pass the CR with only 51 votes
I still haven't found the answer to this yet. It's been said here that the republicans could override the 60 vote rule to pass the CR with only 51 votes, but is that really true? My google-fu is failing me.

So, is it only that they don't want to override the 60 vote rule, or that they truly can't in this case?

As PF pointed out, the current Senate rules provide for a filibuster for these types of budget votes. So they would have to amend the rules to eliminate the filibuster for budget votes, and then they could pass the budget with a simple majority.

Thune almost certainly doesn't have the votes to amend the Senate rules this way, and Democrats don't actually want this "nuclear option" to be deployed - which is why there's not a lot of discussion about it happening.