{"id":2532487,"date":"2026-01-11T09:49:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T14:49:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-kennedy-drops-to-his-knees-begs-thune-for-another-reconciliation-bill\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T09:51:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T14:51:02","slug":"john-kennedy-drops-to-his-knees-begs-thune-for-another-reconciliation-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/john-kennedy-drops-to-his-knees-begs-thune-for-another-reconciliation-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"John Kennedy Drops to His Knees, Begs Thune for Another Reconciliation Bill"},"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\">24<\/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%2Fjohn-kennedy-drops-to-his-knees-begs-thune-for-another-reconciliation-bill%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=2532487&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>Republican Louisiana sen. John Kennedy knelt on the Senate floor to plead with Majority Leader John Thune to bring a second reconciliation bill aimed at fixing welfare and stopping alleged fraud, saying Republicans could pass it with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ocasio-cortez-requests-earmarks-for-two-hospitals-that-perform-abortions\/\" title=\"Ocasio-Cortez Requests Earmarks For Two Hospitals That Perform Abortions\">party-line votes<\/a>. Reconciliation would allow Republicans to bypass a Democratic filibuster, but Thune called that approach imperfect and said he prefers regular order. Speaker Mike Johnson said he is methodically exploring what of the GOP agenda could fit into a second reconciliation package, while House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith and former President Trump have expressed skepticism that another reconciliation bill will pass or is necessary. The push follows viral videos showing apparently nonoperational, taxpayer-funded daycare sites in Minnesota and a Justice Department official&#8217;s estimate that Medicaid fraud in Minnesota could exceed $9 billion. The story reflects divisions among republicans over strategy and whether to use reconciliation to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >address alleged welfare fraud<\/a>.  <\/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\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?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<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy knelt on the Senate floor on Thursday to urge Senate Majority Leader John Thune to bring up another reconciliation bill.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican Party is weighing another reconciliation bill, with Thune saying a potential option could be related to alleged Minnesota fraud, Fox News <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/senate-republicans-eye-reconciliation-address-minnesota-fraud-scandal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reported<\/a> on Thursday. Kennedy made the plea during a speech addressing the alleged fraud.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We need to do another reconciliation bill to fix the welfare system and stop the stealing. Stop the stealing. And we can do it with all Republican votes,&rdquo; Kennedy said. &ldquo;So please, Senator Thune, pretty please. As I&rsquo;ve said before. I&rsquo;m shameless. I&rsquo;ll beg. I&rsquo;ll get down on my knees. John, please bring another reconciliation bill. We can do so much, but we can start with fixing welfare fraud. Please, John, please let us do the bill.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Thune said the reconciliation process, which would enable Republicans to bypass a Democratic filibuster, was not ideal, according to Fox News.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680;NEW: John Kennedy *GETS ON KNEES* and begs John Thune for second reconciliation bill&#129315;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m shameless. I&rsquo;ll beg. I&rsquo;ll get down on my knees. John, PLEASE BRING ANOTHER RECONCILIATION BILL!&rdquo; <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DailyCaller?\">@DailyCaller<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/wfGnEgIAG5\">pic.twitter.com\/wfGnEgIAG5<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Jason Cohen &#127482;&#127480; (@JasonJournoDC) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JasonJournoDC\/status\/2009324726095638697?\">January 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I always think the best solution, if possible, is to try and do things through regular order,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>However, Speaker Mike Johnson <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wPJgouEb5Fk&amp;t=35s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">said<\/a> during &ldquo;The Scott Jennings Show&rdquo; on Wednesday that he was &ldquo;working right now very methodically, carefully to determine what of our priorities we can squeeze into a second reconciliation bill with the idea we&rsquo;d move that early in the year.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Republican Missouri Rep. Jason Smith, who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2025\/12\/18\/congress\/jason-smith-reconciliation-2026-00698324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2025\/12\/18\/congress\/jason-smith-reconciliation-2026-00698324\">said<\/a> in December that he did not &ldquo;see a path of a second reconciliation ever passing.&rdquo; President Donald Trump also <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/5648021-republicans-reconciliation-affordability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-mrf-link=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/house\/5648021-republicans-reconciliation-affordability\/\">said<\/a> in December that Republicans &ldquo;don&rsquo;t need&rdquo; another major reconciliation bill &ldquo;because we got everything&rdquo; in the significant tax cut and spending package enacted in July.<\/p>\n<p>YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a viral&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=r8AulCA1aOQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">video<\/a> on Dec. 26 featuring visits to daycare centers in Minnesota participating in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/flashback-gavin-newsom-shipped-homeless-people-out-of-san-francisco-with-one-way-tickets\/\" title=\"Flashback: Gavin Newsom Shipped Homeless People Out of San Francisco With \u201cOne-Way Tickets\u201d\">taxpayer-funded programs<\/a> that appeared to be non-operational. First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson asserted on Dec. 18 that fraud in Minnesota&rsquo;s Medicaid program could exceed $9 billion.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p><em>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter&rsquo;s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mailto:licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org\">licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Kennedy begs Thune for second reconciliation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2532488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-01-10T194114.722.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[33599,44946,47941,55644],"class_list":["post-2532487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-john-kennedy","tag-john-thune","tag-reconciliation-bill","tag-senate-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-01-10T194114.722.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532487","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2532487"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532487\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2532491,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532487\/revisions\/2532491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2532488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2532487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2532487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2532487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}