Free Republic

The Senate, once again, was working into the early morning hours Friday with its new majority leader, Republican John Thune, setting the pace. It wasn’t until just after 2 a.m. that the last of the senators had straggled into the chamber to cast their vote on the confirmation of retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The vote capped a grinding start to the year for the Senate that included several all-night floor sessions and — importantly for Thune — the quickest top-level Cabinet confirmation process in the past 20 years....

President Donald Trump announced Friday that he has spoken with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) about making interest payments on loans for American-made cars tax deductible. While speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump revealed that he has spoken with the leaders of both chambers of Congress about his vision for tax deductions on loans for U.S.-made cars. “If you buy a car in the United States that’s made in the United States, if it’s manufactured here… if you borrow money you have interest payments, we’re going to let you deduct the...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday that Republicans are open to giving Democrats an amendment vote on a monthlong stopgap funding patch in exchange for votes to help Republicans pass a yearlong spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Thune told reporters he has yet to speak directly with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on a path forward. “If they want a vote on that in exchange for getting us the votes to pass the [CR] to Sept. 30, I think we’re open to that,” Thune said Thursday morning. “But as you all know, the House is...

I do believe we have to give credit where credit is due. The people selected by POTUS Trump, sans Gaetz, have or are being approved for their Cabinet positions. Every one of them, sans Gaetz and it has occurred about has quickly as we could hope. Without saying too much or drawing attention to himself, Senator Thune obviously gets a lot of credit for pulling the GOP Senators together and getting the job done. Senator Thune certainly has my respect, and I admire his approach, which is directly opposite of his nemisis, Chucky Schumer.

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...

Senator Thune! Schedule the votes and call the roll. Stop INTENTIONALLY dragging your feet.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Senate Republicans are ready to hold the Senate open “nights, weekends, and recesses” to confirm Trump’s nominees. Thune on the Senate floor on Tuesday decried Senate Democrats holding up the nomination of John Ratcliffe to become the next CIA director. For instance, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) spent much of his floor time this week obsessing over the January 6 protests after Trump pardoned many of the January 6 protestors. In early January, one poll found that that only five percent of American registered voters believe that the January 6 protests were the biggest...

New Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Sunday said one of his top objectives will be to address the country’s “fiscal mess” — even while acknowledging upcoming expected GOP tax cuts may not be fully funded. Thune (R-SD), 63, who officially took the baton from Mitch McConnell as the Senate’s boss Friday, stressed his intent to focus on problems for the long term. “I would like to see us as a nation do things that affect the long-term stability, future of our kids and our grandkids,” the Republican told NBC’s “Meet the Press” when asked about the “mark” he wants...

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....

The affable traditional conservative from South Dakota is the first new chief of the Senate G.O.P. in nearly two decades. He will confront a challenge managing President-elect Donald J. Trump’s expectations. John Thune won election to the Senate in 2004 by conquering Senator Tom Daschle, the powerful Democratic majority leader, only to quickly face a mortal threat to his political future when a major Air Force base in his state was threatened with closure. He beat back the effort and saved Ellsworth Air Force Base, a financial engine in his largely rural state, keeping his job and learning valuable lessons...

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...

Trump Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth is shoring up support from Republican senators amid a concerted smear campaign against him based on years-old allegations from anonymous sources funneled through establishment media outlets. On Wednesday, Sen. John Thune (R-SD), the incoming Senate Majority Leader, voiced support for Hegseth, according to a Washington Examiner journalist. Similarly, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-LA), who will helm the committee responsible for forwarding his nomination to the full Senate, also expressed support for him on Wednesday. Wicker told an NBC News reporter, “I don’t see any obstacles that can’t be overcome,” and that Hegseth should not withdraw...

Mitch McConnell is retiring, prompting an election in the GOP Senate caucus to select a new leader. For reasons that were not clear to me, Florida’s Rick Scott was the favorite of some MAGA Republicans. But the caucus elected John Thune, who served as Whip under McConnell. In an interview with Breitbart, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson had some strikingly candid comments about the contest for Majority Leader. I have a lot of respect for Johnson, a successful businessman who is serving in politics out of principle and has three times overcome underdog status to win Senate elections in Wisconsin: “John...

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...

Mitch McConnell is a RINO and is a traitor to the people of this country. He staged a COUP against the incoming president and should have been hauled out of the Senate in chains, for he has abused his personal power to try to obstruct what the American people voted for to protect the swamp. Mitch McConnell engineered a coup against Trump’s agenda by calling for early leadership elections in the Senate to ensure that the RINOS would select his replacement to obstruct the American people again as he did throughout the previous Trump Administration. ... There were three candidates:...

The joke is on everyone who fell for the unity nonsense this election season. Senate Republicans are about to screw President Trump…

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) warned Senate Democrats on Thursday not to “become obstacles” toward President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. The warning indicates Thune is inclined to facilitate Senate confirmations of individuals nominated by Trump, who won a landslide victory and moved 48 states to the right. Thune’s statement came one day after Senate Republicans elected him majority leader. Trump did not endorse anyone in the race, although many America First Republicans preferred Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) for the position. Thune is perceived to be close to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), a politician often opposed to the America...

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune said “all the options” are on the table to get President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks through the confirmation process amid concern that some appointees won’t receive enough votes to be confirmed. Trump in recent days announced his choices for key government positions, from Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence to Matt Gaetz as attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary. Thune (R-SD) told Fox News chief political anchor Bret Baier on Thursday on “Special Report” that Senate Republicans are going to work with Trump to “see that...

South Dakota Senator John Thune—not Senator Rick Scott, the preferred choice of some in the Make America Great Again (MAGA) faction—will be the next Senate majority leader following a vote by Senate Republicans on Wednesday. Thune, who has been serving as minority whip, has previously criticized President-elect Donald Trump but has supported an overwhelming majority of his policies. Here's how Thune has voted under the past two administrations. Thune's Voting Record During Trump's First Term During President-elect Donald Trump's first term, beginning in 2017, Thune largely voted in line with Trump's positions. In the 115th Congress, from 2017 to 2019,...

Republicans have elected South Dakota Sen. John Thune as the next Senate majority leader, completing a momentous shift in their leadership that elevates a top deputy of Sen. Mitch McConnell into a key position as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. Thune, who’s 63 and in his fourth Senate term, has promised to work closely with Trump despite differences the two have had over the years. Thune will be a crucial part of the incoming president’s efforts to push through his policy agenda. He beat out two other competitors, Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Rick Scott of...