Washington (AP) – Just six months after the start of the job, the majority leader of the Senate, John Thune, faces a massive challenge when he tries to quickly advance President Donald Trump’s extensive tax and expenditure package in order to adopt with the support of a shared GOP conference.
While most Republican senators are inclined to vote for the draft law, Thune can only lose four votes in view of the United Democratic Opposition – and many more Republicans criticize the version sent by the house.
In order to do it by July 4th – Trump’s deadline – Thune has to find out how the different and sometimes contradictory, emerges from its members. And he has to do it in a way that does not endanger the support of the Republicans in the house that legislation said goodbye to only one voice in the past month after weeks of controversial negotiations.
It is a complicated and risky undertaking that will probably define the first year of Thunes term and its developing relationship with Trump.
“At this point in time, John’s leadership is urgently needed,” said North Carolina, Thom Tillis, one of the Republican Holdouts, who reduces the quick expression of certain energy tax loans by the invoice. “You can say no, everything you want as long as you don’t say no to the wrong 51 people.”
So far, the popular Republican in South Dakota is in a good place, both with colleagues and with the White House. Despite a rockier relationship at the end of Trump’s first term, Thune worked closely with Trump. While the Senate acknowledges that the Senate will probably change the legislative template to clear out concerns about the changes to Medicaid and other programs, he repeatedly said that “failure is not an option”.
“Individual parts of it that people don’t like,” said Thune on Tuesday. “But in the end we have to be successful.”
To get there, Thune met with the senators in his office to hear them and brought his colleagues individually and in diminutive groups to discuss parts of the law. Republican senators say that public relations work is a sturdy change compared to its predecessor Mitch McConnell, who was more feared than loved and held a narrow circle of consultants.
McConnell resigned from Leadership Post in January in January after almost two decades a number of health episodes and growing criticism of the senators on the right flank, which believed that he consolidated power and ignored their concerns.
“It’s a change,” said Kevin Cramer, Senator of North Dakota. Thune “has already made many people happier through the hearing part,” he said.
A lucky senator is Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who sparked open with McConnell and ran against Thune to replace him. Scott, who did not enough to lower the federal expenses, also met with the recent guide.
“I would be very surprised if someone didn’t believe that they are receptive to their ideas,” said Scott about Thun. And when people have heard, Scott said: “There is a greater chance that they agree with something.”
Thune also carefully navigated his relationship with President after he had sharply criticized Trump in 2020 because he had tried to lift his election defeat.
Trump refused to support Thune’s re -election offer two years later. Thune supported South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott about Trump in the president’s area code before finally supporting Trump. The two have followed Trump’s presidential campaign in the last few months and have since shaped a work relationship with mutual benefits. Thune stayed in close contact with the White House and visited Trump several times to discuss the bill, also on Wednesday.
While the collaborative approach of Trump and colleagues who were excited for change gained favor, Thune has a long way to go in front of him in a compact time. The adoption of legislation requires tough decisions, and not every demand can be met.
Nevertheless, the South Dakota colleague of Thune, the Republican Senator Mike Rounds, says that he has already proven to be a “winner” with Trump and the conference by quickly moving the president’s cabinet nominations by the Senate without controversy. The Senate recently also blocked the California Air regulations that the Republicans have been rejected for a long time after Thun had delayed the coordination for weeks in order to express procedural concerns of GOP moderates such as Maine Sen. Susan Collins.
“Everyone wants to work with John,” said Rounds. “He is not angry at the moment.”
According to rounds, Thune also learned how to interrupt when he has to. Since power, Thune has taken over the election times of the Senate, which in most cases sometimes extended to only 15 minutes for hours. It was a tough lesson for some senators, but it brought him the respect of Republicans and privately also some Democrats.
But when they adapted to the change, some senators missed the voices unexpectedly due to the recent policy of Thune, according to Rounds.
“Did he shout a bit? Yes,” he said. “But as soon as they were cut off once or twice, they noticed quite soon that they would do on time if they want to vote.”
