{"id":2387695,"date":"2025-01-08T07:34:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T12:34:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-weighs-trump-agenda-challenge-going-big-without-overpromising\/"},"modified":"2025-01-08T07:36:00","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T12:36:00","slug":"thune-weighs-trump-agenda-challenge-going-big-without-overpromising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/thune-weighs-trump-agenda-challenge-going-big-without-overpromising\/","title":{"rendered":"Thune weighs Trump agenda challenge: Going big without overpromising"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthune-weighs-trump-agenda-challenge-going-big-without-overpromising%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2387695&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) \u200dis preparing\u200d for\u200b the challenges involved \u2062in advancing President-elect \u200bDonald Trump&#8217;s agenda through the Senate, balancing the \u200cneed to push\u200c aspiring goals against managing GOP \u200bexpectations.Thune aims to expand what legislation can pass \u2064under the Senate&#8217;s reconciliation process, which allows bills with\u2062 budgetary \u2063impacts to bypass the\u2063 filibuster&#8217;s 60-vote requirement.Though, he \u2062acknowledges that some proposals could still be blocked due to Senate rules, particularly the \u200cByrd rule, which restricts \u2064such legislation to\u2064 tax, spending, and debt ceiling matters.<\/p>\n<p>In his discussions, Thune emphasizes the importance of effective argumentation to persuade the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, about the\u2062 validity of proposed provisions. He highlights regulatory reform, especially regarding energy permitting, as a potential area for progress. \u2064Despite the GOP&#8217;s desire to tighten border laws, they acknowledge limitations in what\u200d can be achieved via reconciliation.<\/p>\n<p>Thune&#8217;s approach includes taking lessons from the Democrats&#8217; aggressive strategies with their Inflation Reduction Act while cautioning his colleagues \u200bnot to have overly\u2064 high expectations. He \u2064reiterates that the overall success of \u200dtheir \u2062agenda depends on the support and favorable \u2063interpretations from the parliamentarian as\u200d the party navigates its slim majority in the House.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Thune weighs Trump agenda challenge: Going big without overpromising<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1929377\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>EXCLUSIVE &mdash;<\/strong> Senate Majority Leader <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/john-thune\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">John Thune<\/a> (R-SD) has two challenges on his mind as he prepares to usher President-elect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> agenda through the Senate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Thune wants to push the envelope on what gets past the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3277600\/thune-warns-gop-not-challenge-parliamentarian-immigration-fixes-nixed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Senate parliamentarian<\/a>, who weighs whether legislation is subject to the filibuster.<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3278388\/thune-welcomes-trump-drive-gop-agenda-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"THUNE WELCOMES TRUMP TO DRIVE THE GOP AGENDA IN CONGRESS: &lsquo;WE NEED HIM ENGAGED&rsquo;\">THUNE WELCOMES TRUMP TO DRIVE GOP AGENDA IN CONGRESS: &lsquo;WE NEED HIM ENGAGED&rsquo;<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yet his job will be as much about managing GOP expectations as maneuvering Senate rules. Every provision must have a budget impact to qualify for reconciliation, the fast-track procedure that allows Republicans to sidestep the filibuster&rsquo;s 60-vote threshold.<\/p>\n<p>That means Republicans&rsquo; loftier policy goals could be blocked despite having unified control of Washington.<\/p>\n<p>Thune told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3278388\/thune-welcomes-trump-drive-gop-agenda-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Monday interview<\/a> that Republicans would &ldquo;take a run&rdquo; at expanding those limits, viewing the aggressive approach Democrats took on the Inflation Reduction Act as a template.<\/p>\n<p>But he has been cautioning his colleagues in the House and Senate not to get their hopes up too high as they get ready to renew Trump&rsquo;s 2017 tax cuts alongside more aspirational legislation on the border, energy, national security, and more.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Democrats significantly expanded the scope of it but also ran into resistance on some things they were trying to do that had been on their policy agenda list for a long time,&rdquo; Thune said in his Senate office, three days after he was sworn in as majority leader.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So, it&rsquo;s how effective you are making the arguments, how persuasive you are,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;And we will take a look. I mean, we got some things on that list.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to the Washington Examiner on Jan. 6, 2025, at the Capitol. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It will be up to Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough to determine whether the provisions in their reconciliation bills can pass at a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ketanji-brown-jackson-confirmed-to-scotus-in-53-47-vote\/\" title=\"Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirmed to SCOTUS in 53-47 Vote\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/breaking-arizona-state-rep-issues-call-to-withhold-states-electoral-college-votes-to-joe-biden-due-to-significant-evidence-of-fraud\/\" title=\"BREAKING: Arizona State Rep Issues Call to Withhold State&#039;s Electoral College Votes to Joe Biden Due to Significant Evidence of Fraud\">simple majority<\/a> threshold<\/a>, in this case 50 votes due to Vice President-elect J.D. Vance&rsquo;s ability to break ties.<\/p>\n<p>She must use the Byrd Rule, which limits reconciliation bills to tax, spending, and <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">debt ceiling legislation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans can get creative, as they did in 2017 with their tax law. Reconciliation bills must be deficit-neutral outside a 10-year budget window, so they allowed pieces of the legislation to expire in 2025.<\/p>\n<p>But some of what is permissible will simply come down to whether Republicans get a favorable interpretation of the rules from MacDonough.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s certainly some subjectivity associated with that, but we want to do everything we can to make the argument for why what we&rsquo;re trying to do fits within the contours of what the law allows and the Byrd Rule allows for reconciliation,&rdquo; Thune said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll make those arguments to her, and we expect her to be a fair arbitrator,&rdquo; he added.<\/p>\n<p>Thune sees regulatory reform as one area in which Republicans can push the boundaries. Among other things, Republicans hope to ease rules on energy permitting.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the most prominent debate is what can be done on the border through reconciliation.<\/p>\n<p>Republicans are unlikely to be allowed to tighten asylum laws or reimplement &ldquo;Remain in Mexico,&rdquo; a Trump-era policy that many want codified in statute. But they could conceivably put together legislation that funds a border wall and new Border Patrol agents.<\/p>\n<p>In the House, the chief concern is Republicans&rsquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-backs-off-15-minimum-wage-as-virus-relief-plan-takes-shape\/\" title=\"Biden Backs Off  Minimum Wage As Virus Relief Plan Takes Shape\">razor-thin majority<\/a>. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has been holding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3278475\/gop-scrambles-trump-agenda-paralysis-inauguration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">strategy sessions<\/a> with Thune this week, will at times have a one-seat margin.<\/p>\n<p>MacDonough has stymied both parties since taking over as parliamentarian in 2012. In 2021, she repeatedly blocked Democrats from passing a minimum wage hike and legislation protecting Dreamers, among other provisions, through reconciliation.<\/p>\n<p>But Republicans are operating under the perception that MacDonough allowed Democrats to crack the door open wider than it had ever been. They were able to get consequential policies, such as their drug pricing reforms, into what eventually became the Inflation Reduction Act.<\/p>\n<p>This week, Thune rejected the idea of overruling the parliamentarian, something Republicans can do with a simple majority should they disagree with her judgment. Republicans will hold 53 seats next week after Sen.-elect Jim Justice (R-WV) finishes his term as West Virginia governor.<\/p>\n<p>Overruling the parliamentarian is not entirely without precedent, but Thune considers that step a backdoor way to weaken the filibuster, which he committed to protect in his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/3275493\/john-thune-vow-preserve-filibuster-first-speech-senate-majority-leader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">inaugural speech<\/a> as majority leader.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, he is charting a path that stretches but does not break Senate norms.<\/p>\n<p>Not all Republicans see overruling the parliamentarian as necessarily out of bounds. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO), a Trump ally, says he wants to see how MacDonough applies the Byrd Rule to their reconciliation legislation.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think a level of consistency will be really important,&rdquo; Schmitt said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not taking anything off the table.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The challenge for Thune will be convincing his conference that Republicans got everything they could through the reconciliation process.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are a ton of things that we would love to be able to do, and I get good ideas every day,&rdquo; Thune said with a smirk.<\/p>\n<p>Thune noted that most Republicans in Congress today were not around eight years ago, when taxes were first passed in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Back then, the parliamentarian flagged even seemingly benign provisions as violating the Byrd Rule, including the title of the bill, following an objection from Democrats.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There are a lot of folks here who haven&rsquo;t been through this before,&rdquo; Thune said. &ldquo;We have new members in the Senate, a lot of new ones in the House.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to the Washington Examiner on Jan. 6, 2025, at the Capitol. (Graeme Jennings\/Washington Examiner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The same expectation-setting applies to Trump, who is known for rejecting institutional norms if it helps clear the way for GOP priorities. Trump advocated eliminating the filibuster during his first term.<\/p>\n<p>Thune expects there is some room to pass legislation outside of the reconciliation process. He cited bipartisan talks on artificial intelligence last Congress as one area in which Democrats may find common ground.<\/p>\n<p>Bipartisanship will be necessary for must-pass legislation including the farm bill and government funding as well.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>But overall, Thune views reconciliation as the catch-all for everything else, telling the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> it is a chance to clear the decks on GOP priorities that have languished for years.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As we think through those possibilities, obviously it&rsquo;s with an eye toward: Are there things here that we can do that are consequential and that we&rsquo;ve been trying to get done for a while?&rdquo; Thune said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1929377\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1929377\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Thune faces challenges in advancing Trump&#8217;s agenda without overpromising<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3204,"featured_media":2387696,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/010624_THUNE-9-1024x683.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3815,7727,5894,23610,3634],"class_list":["post-2387695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-agenda","tag-challenge","tag-politics","tag-thune","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/010624_THUNE-9-1024x683.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387695","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3204"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2387695"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387695\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2387699,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2387695\/revisions\/2387699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2387696"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2387695"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2387695"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2387695"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}