Free Republic

Nothing will ever be easy with congressional Republicans. The reconciliation package aged all of us 35 years, as Sen. John Thune (R-SD) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) had to whip votes, hold the line, and make some phone calls. President Trump was also working the phones heavily when final passage was at stake in the House. Republican leadership held the line, but with Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) retiring after the reconciliation vote, delivering what’s left of the Trump agenda before the 2026 midterms is about to get even tougher. The House did its job and passed the rescission package, but...

Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was not briefed before the US strikes on Iran — even though his GOP counterpart on the panel, Chairman Rick Crawford, was in contact with the White House, per a person familiar. Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, also was not briefed before the attack, per a source familiar, but the GOP chairman, Tom Cotton, was briefed. Both Democrats are in the “Gang of Eight,” which typically would be briefed before a significant US military engagement. The Gang of Eight includes the House and Senate...

Without intervention, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Budge will be separated from the Army on September 1 for his objection to the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 shot in 2021, which was determined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to be “unlawful as implemented.” In March, with the hope of restoring his career, the Black Hawk helicopter pilot was advised by Gen. Randy George, the Army’s Chief of Staff, to submit his request for relief to the Board for Correction of Military Records (BCMR). And at the time, the general promised he would “get it fixed,” CW3 told The Gateway...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) argued Tuesday that it’s too early for Congress to consider legislation that aims to prevent President Trump from using military force against Iran. “I think we’re getting the cart ahead of the horse here,” Thune told reporters on Capitol Hill when asked if he would allow a war powers resolution to come up for a vote on the Senate floor. “This is something that’s happened the last few days,” the South Dakota Republican said of the escalating conflict between Iran and Israel. “I think the president is perfectly within his authority in the steps...

On Sunday, Johnson made an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union and told Jake Tapper that there are enough Republicans in the Senate to “stop the process until the President gets serious about the spending reduction and reducing the deficit.” WATCH: How many other Republican Senators do you think share your concerns and are willing to work to make major changes to this bill? I think we have enough to stop the process until the President gets serious about the spending reduction and reducing the deficit.

Laura Loomer @LauraLoomer 🚨 ATTENTION MAGA 🚨 Why are we sending America First conservatives to Congress in 2026? To BACK PRESIDENT TRUMP’S AGENDA! Seems like common sense, right? Well, it turns out common sense isn’t so common in the Swamp. Right now, as I type this, Congress is failing us. The Senate is packing up to leave DC today while 91 of President Trump’s @realDonaldTrump nominees are stuck waiting for confirmation. THIS IS DISGRACEFUL! If Speaker Thune @LeaderJohnThune had the guts, he’d keep the Senate in session and CONFIRM ALL 91 OF TRUMP’S NOMINEES, TODAY! One man—President Trump—is working tirelessly...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) met with Gov. Brian Kemp last Monday as the GOP lobbies the Georgia Republican to run for Senate in 2026. Why it matters: Georgia is a top pickup opportunity for Senate Republicans, and the popular Kemp is seen as the party's strongest potential candidate. Thune was joined at Monday's lunch in Atlanta by NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), according to two people familiar with the meeting. Kemp's wife, Marty, also attended. The intrigue: Kemp has a complicated relationship with President Trump, who attacked the governor for not overturning his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and other establishment Republicans are lobbying President Trump to endorse Senator John Cornyn over Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. According to a report from CNN, Republican leaders are becoming “anxious” about the prospect of Paxton launching a successful primary challenge against Cornyn. Cornyn has long been unpopular within MAGA circles for his closeness to former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and opposition to parts of Trump’s policia agenda. The report explains:

A controversial plan by U.S. Senate Republicans to make President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent by ignoring the cost to the deficit is raising warnings from party fiscal hawks and independent analysts of a potential "debt spiral" that could undermine economic growth. Top Senate Republicans, including Majority Leader John Thune, are determined to make permanent tax cuts due to expire at the end of the year, through a parliamentary maneuver that bypasses Democratic opposition. Because rules prohibit bills from expanding the deficit beyond a 10-year window, they intend to ignore a projected revenue loss of more than $4 trillion...

A lawyer who worked for different Republican senators slammed the appointment of conservative commentator Dan Bongino as deputy FBI director, a position that does not need Senate confirmation, saying the decision was made after GOP lawmakers failed to put previous limits on the Trump administration. Gregg Nunziata, who worked for now Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, said Bongino's confirmation "is what you get when R Senators fail to do their jobs and say no to (Kash) Patel," already confirmed to be the next FBI director.

Senate Republicans on Monday criticized Elon Musk’s directive for federal government employees to lose their jobs if they did not send in a bullet-pointed summary of what they did last week at work, describing it as a rash decision that was not handled well. The email asking what they accomplished over the past week had set a deadline of Monday at midnight for responses. However, that was walked back by the Office of Personnel Management when it told departments and agencies that they could ignore that email. Nevertheless, some Senate GOP members took issue with Musk’s request as he continues...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) suggested Friday that open Senate seats in Michigan and Minnesota could serve as potential pickup opportunities for Republicans in 2026. “I think they are,” Thune said during an interview on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom,” when asked if both states served as possible pickups for the GOP. “I mean, those are open seats. Minnesota is arguably slightly harder than Michigan,” he continued. “Both are our states that we haven’t elected a Republican senator to from — in a long time. But I think that these are different times and people are looking for change in...

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader John Thune are set to headline the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., underscoring their support for the pro-life movement. The event, scheduled to take place near the National Mall, draws tens of thousands of participants each year to advocate for the protection of unborn life and celebrate the pro-life cause. Speaker Johnson, known for his strong pro-life stance, is expected to emphasize the importance of advancing legislation that protects life at all stages. His speech will likely highlight efforts in the House to strengthen federal restrictions on abortion and promote...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) warned Senate Republicans not to overrule parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough if some desired border security provisions are thrown out. Such a move would be akin to nuking the legislative filibuster, the new Republican leader said... Senate Republicans could seek out sweeping border policy changes that would be prohibited under reconciliation rules. Thune’s ruling should stop such a move that would step over the respected MacDonough. She’s served the Senate since 2012 and holds bipartisan praise. Thune lauded her in 2015 when Republicans sought to repeal portions of Obamacare....

Senator Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) questioned if deporting everyone in the United States illegally was “realistic” Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Host Kristen Welker said, “Let’s talk about the Republicans’ agenda. When I spoke to President-elect Donald Trump he said his mass deportation plan was his top priority. He wants to deport everyone who is here illegally. Do you support that plan to deport everyone who is here illegally?” Thune said, “Well I think certainly there are categories, people who have committed crimes. There are over a million people that the current administration had targeted for deportation. So...

Elon Musk, the co-head of President-elect Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency, met with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) Thursday morning ahead of meetings later in the day with Senate and House Republicans. Musk walked into Thune’s office with one of his children perched atop his shoulders. “I think we should be spending the public’s money wisely,” he told reporters while walking through the Capitol’s hallways. Musk has said he wants to cut at least $2 trillion from the federal budget, which now exceeds $6 trillion a year. But any proposed cuts would likely face substantial opposition in...

South Dakota Republican Sen. John Thune on Sunday threatened to slap the International Criminal Court (ICC) with sanctions if it did not drop its application for an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thune — who was selected Wednesday to be the next Senate Majority Leader once the GOP takes the upper chamber come January 2025 — warned that if the current Democratic leader does not take on the international court, he will. “If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately...

It's an embarrassment of riches for the Republicans these days. Not only did they sweep the House, Senate and White House, but they're also sending many of their best and brightest to serve in the second Donald Trump administration. This leaves many vacancies to be filled, and one of the most important is the Ohio Senate seat vacated by Vice President-elect JD Vance.Vance was elected to the U.S. Senate a mere two years ago, beating Democrat Tim Ryan to replace the retiring Rob Portman (R). Our next vice president spent his brief Senate career in the minority, but his replacement...

WEST VIRGINIA — Former West Virginia Delegate Derrick Evans has formally announced his intention to run for West Virginia Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s seat in the U.S. Senate in the 2026 election. In his candidacy announcement, he called Capito a RINO (Republican In Name Only), stating that she stayed silent during a “secret vote” for Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Evans said that Thune is a career politician and that he is poised to delay or obstruct President Trump’s future cabinet appointments. Evans has thrown his vote behind Matt Gaetz for Attorney General, stating, “he’s one of us.” Evans was...

With the GOP’s regained Senate majority, the freshly-branded Majority Leader John Thune has a mountain of work ahead of him once he takes the gavel. He must confirm President-elect Trump’s cabinet nominees, pass legislation securing the border, and extend the expiring 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act benefiting more than 80% of individual taxpayers. But before any legislating can happen, the Senate must choose the membership of its committees. Thune must use his authority as Majority Leader to limit the committee assignments of one newly elected Senator: Democrat Adam Schiff of California. Schiff must be denied a position on any...