Thune's power play to promote Trump's agenda

Thune's power play to promote Trump's agenda

Washington - Senate Republicans announced Wednesday they will move forward with their preferred legislative strategy to jump-start Donald Trump's agenda. This comes just hours after the president himself endorsed a completely different approach.

Legal conflicts and strategic decisions

This showdown by Senate Majority Leader John Thune portends a dramatic clash with House Speaker Mike Johnson when the House returns next week. Party leaders are trying to achieve the White House's ambitious policy goals despite a historically narrow margin in Congress. Both chambers must agree on an identical approach to unlock the special powers that will allow Trump to pass his agenda without the threat of a Senate filibuster — all in the face of critical deadlines like the expiration of Trump's tax breaks later this year.

Support and resistance within the party

"President Trump prefers a big, beautiful law. Me too, but here you always have a Plan B," said Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican and chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. "I'm betting on the House coming together and passing a big, beautiful bill that's consistent with Trump's tax agenda. Right now, the tax agenda is to make the tax relief permanent, and the House bill doesn't do that."

Different approaches between the Senate and the House of Representatives

Thune said Wednesday that he plans to continue preparations this week for the first part of Trump's agenda - a budget that directs the Senate to pass measures on border security and energy production. This comes even though Trump himself has supported House Republicans' much broader approach, which includes a variety of plans to pass tax breaks as well as a temporary increase in the debt ceiling and trillions in cuts to federal programs.

Criticism and internal tensions

House Republicans have said they need to bundle everything into a single bill to avoid missing key deadlines like those for tax reform and the spring debt ceiling. But the Senate Republican leadership emphasizes that the primary goal is to help Trump succeed quickly and provide him with resources for his priorities.

The Republicans' internal dispute, which has been going on for months now, involves more than just tactics. It is a sign of concern among many Republicans, particularly in the Senate, that Trump's entire agenda may not pass in the chaotic House of Representatives. This will be an early test of how relatively inexperienced Republican leaders Thune and Johnson can pool their extremely narrow majorities to work with a strengthened Trump and his aggressive plans to reshape Washington.

Responding to different budgets

But some members of the conference, including Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, expressed surprise at Thune's decision to move forward, particularly regarding the hours-long round of voting on a budget bill that Trump hasn't even supported. The Senate will begin this marathon vote on Thursday evening, which is expected to last until Friday morning.

“I'm honestly a little perplexed about what we're doing,” Hawley said, adding that he wasn't prepared to vote for the budget until he received "some reassurances" from the president that Trump supports it. "It seems a little bizarre to me. I can't quite understand what we're doing here."

The influence of Trump's support

Trump himself spoke out on Wednesday in favor of the Republicans' comprehensive approach in the House of Representatives and praised Johnson's measure. “The House Resolution implements my FULL America First Agenda, ALL of it, not just parts of it!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, urging both chambers to pass the House version.

But GOP senators warned that their bill was a form of insurance for Trump. "We've all heard (Trump), but we're not going to sit back," said Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican. “We will do something so that if their plan fails, we have something prepared.”

CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance asked Republican senators questions about the budget and debt ceiling in a more than hour-long meeting at the Capitol, giving senators the impression that Trump might support the Senate's progress. Pressure is growing on members to rally behind a unified strategy to make the most of the remaining time before important deadlines.