John Thune

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Trump Pressures Cotton by Posting His Cellphone Number

President wants daylight saving bill passed, blames senator

(Newser) - President Trump turned up his pressure campaign over stalled daylight saving time legislation by posting what he said was Sen. Tom Cotton's cellphone number on Truth Social. "To the Great People of Arkansas, please let your Senator know it would be a GREAT Bipartisan WIN for the United...

Republicans Sound Alarm on Diesel Prices

Sen. Grassley calls for an export embargo as farmers feel the hit of record-high costs

(Newser) - Republican lawmakers are turning up the volume on diesel prices, warning that the surge is squeezing farmers and truckers across the country, reports the Washington Post . Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who farms corn and soybeans, wrote on X over the weekend that sky-high prices are "killing farmers income" and...

Senators Leave With Trump's Demand Unmet

Voting bill hasn't enough support from either party

(Newser) - Senators left the Capitol in the predawn hours Saturday, ending for now a bitter standoff over President Trump's demands that they stay in session to pass a proof-of-citizenship voting bill before the summer recess. While Republicans wrapped up many priorities in their overnight votes, the AP reports, Trump's...

Trump Declines to Back Thune, Diagnoses Midterm Problem

GOP might be in trouble because he's not on the ballot to bring out voters, says president

(Newser) - President Trump sat for an interview with Punchbowl News in which he acknowledged that Republicans might face trouble in the midterms and declined to back Senate Majority Leader John Thune for another term. Highlights from the Fly on the Wall interview :
  • Midterms: Trump said a big problem is that he'
...

Kentucky Gov to McConnell: 'Verbally Address' Us, or Step Aside

Andy Beshear sends a sharply worded letter to state's top Republican over health concerns

(Newser) - Kentucky's Democratic governor is publicly pressing the state's most powerful Republican to prove he's still up to the job—or step aside. In a sharply worded letter, Gov. Andy Beshear urged Sen. Mitch McConnell to speak directly to Kentuckians and show he is capable of serving, or...

Trump Goes After Thune With New Slam
Trump Goes After Thune
With New Slam
Jul 27, 2026 12:19 PM CDT

Trump Goes After Thune With New Slam

Democrats are 'lucky' with him as GOP Senate leader, says president

(Newser) - President Trump is turning up the heat on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, urging him not to let senators leave Washington for August recess without acting on the election bill Trump has been championing. In a Monday Truth Social post , Trump said Thune should keep the chamber in session until...

Leavitt: Trump's Patience With Thune 'Is Running Out'

She says Trump wants to see voting bill passed before Senate's August recess

(Newser) - President Trump's latest target isn't a Democrat; it's his own party's Senate leader. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump's "patience is running out" with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, as the president's voting overhaul stalls in the narrowly divided...

GOP Senators Say They Had Long Talks With McConnell

Leaders describe lengthy calls as speculation over hospitalized senator's health grows

(Newser) - Republican senators are citing phone calls to rebut mounting questions about Sen. Mitch McConnell's health. Spokespeople for Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Majority Whip John Barrasso say both men held extended calls with the hospitalized Kentucky senator this week, describing the conversations as detailed and wide-ranging, Politico reports....

Trump May Not Like His Senate Visit This Week

Republicans plan to make clear the SAVE America Act doesn't have the votes to pass

(Newser) - President Trump is heading to the Senate this week, and he may not receive as warm a reception as he hopes. Trump, at the invitation of Florida Sen. Rick Scott, will attend the GOP's Wednesday lunch and press for his top priority, the SAVE America Act elections bill, reports...

Trump-Thune Rift Deepens as Senators Bristle Over Demands

Trump attacks leave GOP senators defending Thune and Senate traditions

(Newser) - Republican unease with President Trump isn't exactly a secret, but it now has a focal point: Senate GOP leader John Thune. Sources tell Punchbowl News that in a closed-door lunch meeting Wednesday, Sen. John Kennedy complained that Trump is "taking shots" at Thune—and no one rose to...

Susan Collins Is Only 2nd Senator to Hit This Milestone

She is closing in on record after casting 10,000th consecutive vote

(Newser) - On Jan. 22, 1997, Sen. Susan Collins voted to confirm Madeline Albright as secretary of State. That was her first Senate vote, and she hasn't missed one since. On Thursday night, the Maine Republican cast her 10,000th consecutive vote, backing a motion tied to a $70 billion budget...

Report: Feds Plan to Drop 'Anti-Weaponization Fund'

DOJ says it will abide by ruling blocking payouts from $1.8B fund

(Newser) - The White House is backing away from a nearly $1.8 billion pot of money critics feared could become a Trump-aligned payout machine. Sources tell Axios that the administration plans to abandon the "Anti-Weaponization Fund" after legal setbacks and mounting resistance from both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill....

GOP Senators Aren't Hiding Their Frustration With Trump

Several appear exasperated by his endorsement of Texas AG Ken Paxton

(Newser) - President Trump has picked his side in a Texas GOP brawl, and Senate Republicans are not hiding their irritation. Trump endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the state's Senate primary runoff, undercutting 23-year incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and prompting warnings that the move could put what was seen...

Senate Vote on Iran War Could Be Risky for GOP

John Thune appears unwilling to force his members to go on the record

(Newser) - Lisa Murkowski is pushing for something many of her GOP colleagues would rather avoid: a recorded vote on whether to keep the Iran war going. The Alaska senator wants the Senate to formally authorize continued military action now that the 60-day window under the War Powers Act has closed, saying...

Senate GOP Sidesteps Dems, Passes Funding for ICE

Late night 'vote-a-rama' sends funding bill to the House, would reopen DHS

(Newser) - The Senate took the first steps in a new effort to reopen the Department of Homeland Security early Thursday, voting to adopt a budget plan that would fund ICE and Border Patrol over Democratic objections and sending it to the House. The entire department has been shut down since mid-February...

Johnson, Thune Unveil 2-Step Plan to End Shutdown

The first stage involves passing partial funding measure that House rejected last week

(Newser) - Republican leaders say they've found an off-ramp from the Homeland Security shutdown — now they just have to get their own party to take it. In a joint statement on Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson rolled out a two-step strategy: first, pass a...

GOP Leaders Unite Behind Mullin Replacement

Trump, Thune, Scott back Rep. Kevin Hern for Senate seat in Oklahoma

(Newser) - Republican leaders are quickly lining up behind their pick to replace Sen. Markwayne Mullin in Oklahoma. On Thursday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott backed Rep. Kevin Hern for the open seat, signaling a push to clear the GOP field in the reliably...

Thune Rejects Trump's Push to Nationalize Elections

Though he is in favor of requiring ID to vote

(Newser) - Not everyone is rushing to follow President Trump's call to put elections under federal control , NBC News reports. A day after Trump told a conservative podcast that the GOP should "nationalize the voting," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants no part of that. "I'...

House Republicans Defy Party to Pass ACA Subsidy Extension

Senate GOP leaders oppose bill without a series of changes

(Newser) - The House approved a three-year extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies on Thursday, with 17 Republicans joining all Democrats in a rebuke to GOP leaders. The bill, passed 230-196, would restore higher federal subsidies that lapsed at the end of last year to help lower premiums for millions of...

Bid to Save ObamaCare Subsidies Fails in Senate

Vote means they are all but certain to expire at the end of the year

(Newser) - The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year, per the AP . Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican...

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