Written by David Morgan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Incoming U.S. Senate Republican leader John Thune will face a test of his career when Donald Trump returns to power next month. He aims to shepherd the new president’s priorities through Congress while preserving the House’s authority over cabinet selection and spending.
The 63-year-old South Dakotan, a 20-year veteran of the Senate, is known as an affable negotiator who is adept at finding common ground between opposing factions. He is scheduled to be sworn in as majority leader on Jan. 3, when the party’s new majority is sworn in by a vote of 53-47.
Mr. Thune will have to maintain a positive relationship with the sometimes petulant and unpredictable Mr. Trump, who once called for his removal from office and has shown little interest in the Senate’s role as a check on executive power. .
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He will be charged with overseeing the approval of a series of norm-breaking ministerial nominees. The goal is to implement President Trump’s policies of tax cuts, border security and energy deregulation, and avoid the possibility of the U.S. defaulting on more than $36 trillion of debt within the next year.
Brian Riedl, a former Senate aide and now a senior fellow at the right-wing Manhattan Institute, said: “He comes into the majority leader’s position during one of the Senate’s most controversial and consequential years in a generation. It will happen,” he said. “It’s really going to be a trial by fire.”
Thune’s first trial was a controversial one, with candidates including Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, Tulsi Gabbard for Director of National Intelligence, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Kash Patel for FBI Director. He will oversee confirmation hearings for members of Trump’s Cabinet.
Tune Council members have expressed quiet concern about all four candidates, whose resumes differ from those of previous candidates for the top jobs. Since one of Trump’s nominees, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, was dropped from the race for attorney general, Trump’s allies have increased pressure on Senate Republicans to line up behind other candidates. are.
For weeks, Mr. Thune avoided focusing on the nominees’ qualifications, saying only that each nominee would have to answer questions at a hearing before going to the Senate for a confirmation vote. Some Trump supporters argue that the stance is not strong enough for their liking.
“The Senate majority leader’s job is to ensure that qualified Cabinet nominees from the president’s party win confirmation,” said former Senate Republican aide and founder and president of the Article III Project. Mike Davis said.
Davis said his Trump-aligned advocacy group has already told tens of thousands of people to call and email upset Senate Republicans and “light them up” on social media. .
“If a qualified candidate fails, it’s John Thune’s failure,” Davis said.
In an interview with Fox News last week, Thune paid tribute to President Trump’s nominees, saying, “I will give the president wide discretion and respect in making these selections. We have a job to do and we will do it and make sure it is a fair process.”
Thune overcame a pressure campaign by members of President Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement who wanted to nominate Sen. Rick Scott to lead Congress instead.
The victory was achieved in a secret ballot held behind closed doors, but ministerial votes will be held in public on the Senate floor.
“Institutionalist at heart”
Thune, whose current six-year term is extended through 2028, has strong support in South Dakota and is likely to seek self-confidence in 2022 after criticizing President Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election. It has distanced him from Mr. Trump’s hopes of fielding a primary challenger.
He says he intends to uphold the powers and traditions of the Senate. This includes both the president’s power to approve or veto Cabinet picks and the “filibuster” rule, which requires the consent of 60 out of 100 senators on most bills. Sometimes we need Democratic support.
“The Senate was purposely put here to be a place to slow things down, to be more deliberative, to give minorities a voice,” Thun told reporters this month. “As I’ve said before, the filibuster is clearly non-negotiable.”
Trump said in an interview with Time magazine published Thursday that he “respects” the filibuster and has a “very good relationship” with Thune.
Thune rose to the Senate in 2005 with a reputation as a giant-killer after ousting then-Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, who had led House Democrats for the past decade.
Mr. Daschle expressed his respect for Mr. Thun in an interview.
“I trust John Thune,” Daschle said. “He’s an institutionalist at heart.”
Thune’s supporters say the former high school basketball star has the acumen to defeat lawmakers who won’t toe the party line on important votes. That’s a skill both Thune and Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, who starts the year with a narrow 217-215 margin, will need next year.
“What you see in him sometimes is a competitive athlete. It’s the same kind of mentality,” Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer told reporters. “I think he has pretty sharp elbows on the basketball court.”
President Trump and his allies may have similar expectations, and appear prepared to push back if some Senate Republicans try to oppose his priorities. Mr. Trump has already indicated he would adjourn appointments to install a nominee if the Senate does not support his selection.
“All are extremely capable men and women with the talent, experience, and skill sets necessary to make America great again, and I’m sure the senators will recognize that during the confirmation process,” Trump Vance said. transition spokesman Colton Snedeko said. statement.
Philip Wallach, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said Thune could face pressure from hard-line conservatives unconcerned with the Senate’s traditions, saying, “There are so many people who think of Congress as nothing more than a nuisance,” he said. Butt. ”
(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
Disclaimer: This report was auto-generated from Reuters News Service. ThePrint assumes no responsibility for its content.
