Latest news with #Thune
Axios
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Thune prepares senators to work first August weekend
Majority Leader John Thune warned senators in a closed-door lunch Tuesday to be ready for possible votes on nominations next weekend— taking them into August, three sources familiar with the discussion tell Axios. Why it matters: Thune is caught between President Trump's demand to cancel the August recess and a conference desperate to campaign, fundraise and talk to voters in their states. No plans are final. But no senator likes the idea of a potential Saturday vote in early August. The hope for GOP leaders is to reach an agreement with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to allow for faster processing of Trump's nominees and limit the impact on recess. But the lunch warning is a clear sign that Thune is willing to test senators' pain tolerance in his pursuit of confirming more of Trump's nominees. Zoom in: Senators are still expected to have time at home this weekend, but they could be made to to stay in Washington Friday, Aug. 1 and beyond.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Thune keeps door open to nixing August recess after Trump request
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on Monday that he is open to President Trump's call to cancel the August recess as part of the GOP's push to quickly confirm his nominees. Thune told reporters he was considering the move, alleging Democrats broke precedent by not allowing the expeditious confirmation of any of Trump's nominees. 'We're thinking about it. We want to get as many [nominations] through the pipeline as we can,' Thune said at the Capitol, adding that it would be 'nice to have' Democrats 'act more according to historical precedents when it comes to this.' 'Trump's the first president in history that hasn't had a [nomination] adopted by this point in his presidency either by unanimous consent or voice. Not a single one,' Thune continued. 'Trying to get his team in place is something that we're very committed to and we're going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can.' In addition to nominations, the South Dakota Republican said government funding and the annual National Defense Authorization Act would top the to-do list if members are kept in town. Thune also said he and Trump have discussed the idea. Trump on Saturday urged the GOP leader to keep senators in Washington. 'Hopefully the very talented John Thune, fresh off our many victories over the past two weeks and, indeed, 6 months, will cancel August recess (and long weekends!), in order to get my incredible nominees confirmed,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'We need them badly!!!' Republicans have scores of nominees waiting to get the green light for confirmation, including via the Foreign Relations Committee. GOP leaders have also started to move judicial nominees to the floor. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Senate GOP faces tough call over Trump's demand to cancel recess
Senate Republicans are weighing whether to heed President Trump's call to cancel some or all of the August recess to approve key nominees or to use the full month to go home and sell the party's tax and spending law to voters, which top Republicans view as crucial to their midterm election hopes. Having passed the party's 'big, beautiful bill' and a package to claw back funding for public media and foreign aid, the Senate's plan was to motor ahead on scores of Trump nominations in the next two weeks, then leave for the extended break. But Trump over the weekend urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to keep everyone in town. While some in the GOP would welcome lopping off a portion of the recess, Republicans view a monthlong messaging push on the 'big, beautiful bill' as imperative for electoral success, especially with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the National Republican Senatorial Committee's chair, admitting recently that the bill is not polling well enough for his liking. 'That's also an important part. We've got to go back and be able to talk to our constituents and explain to them what we just did in a way that will help in the midterm elections, which I know the president and we all care about,' said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is up for reelection next year and staring down a tricky primary fight. 'This would be one time when we would be back home and be able to do that,' Cornyn said. Thune on Monday kept the door open to keeping Republicans in Washington. 'We're thinking about it. We want to get as many [nominations] through the pipeline as we can,' Thune said at the Capitol. The GOP has more than 130 nominees awaiting floor action, including many out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an initial batch of judicial choices, with more set to be advanced this week. Democrats have refused to concede time on any of the nominations, drawing each one out and forcing Republicans to consider their options. Cornyn allowed that Trump had a 'legitimate point' in complaining about the delay, and Thune noted that Trump is the first president who has not seen any of his nominees be greenlighted via voice vote or by unanimous consent. 'Not a single one,' Thune continued, adding that he and Trump have discussed possibilities of how to handle recess. 'Trying to get his team in place is something that we're very committed to, and we're going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can.' In addition to nominations, the South Dakota Republican said government funding and the annual National Defense Authorization Act would top the to-do list if members are kept in town. Keeping senators in D.C. in August wouldn't be unprecedented — especially under a Trump presidency. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), a former GOP leader, canceled the first week of the August break in 2017 in order to keep up work to repeal and replace the Affordable Acre Act after the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tanked their 'skinny repeal' push. Just a year later, McConnell went a step further to scrap more than two weeks of the break in order to keep a sizable number of Senate Democrats in Washington instead of allowing them to return home to campaign ahead of the midterm elections. Feelings about the possibility this go-around are mixed. Conservatives on Monday indicated they are enthusiastic about staying in town to advance the president's nominees. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said members can remain in Washington and still sell the 'big, beautiful bill' in other creative ways. He noted that he did three tele-town halls last week that attracted 5,000 listeners each. 'Whatever it takes to get his [nominations] across the finish line, we need to do. … We can still get back [home] on weekends,' he said, saying that it's possible only part of recess is affected. Others, especially those up for reelection in 2026, are hoping Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) can strike a deal to advance a group of less-controversial nominees in a single bloc. Adding to that desire is that the chamber is hitting the tail end of a grueling six-month stretch. The Senate spent the first 10 weeks of the year in session, more than double the usual amount. Lawmakers also took part in four overnight vote-a-ramas and saw their July 4 recess significantly curtailed due to passage of the tax law. 'Cooler heads can prevail,' said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who is likely running for a third term next year. 'Getting back home is our opportunity … to get back in when we haven't had the chance because we've been in session so much lately. A lot of us were kind of planning on the August time to really get back in and reestablish with some of those organizations we haven't had a chance to talk to this year.' Rounds was also curt when asked if Thune should cancel the planned break. 'No,' he said. 'Of course not.' Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) concurred, as she represents a state that is not only furthest away and the most difficult commute from D.C., but also difficult to traverse within. Many communities in Alaska are only reachable by plane, and August is the only time she can visit some of them. 'How do I do all of this if I don't have time out there?' Murkowski said. 'Our states are big. This is part of my day job, too. You get us for the rest of the year back here, but there's got to be some time when we can actually be addressing the needs of our constituents back home.' 'I guard this recess,' she said, taking issue with the phrase 'recess.' 'Do you realize all the pictures I'm getting from people back home? … People are dipnetting, they're hauling in their fish, and I'm just looking at it thinking, 'I haven't even been able to do serious fishing, much less fun fishing.'' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Axios
a day ago
- Politics
- Axios
Thune stuck between Trump's demands, members' recess plans
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is stuck between the public, painful demands from President Trump to cancel the August recess and the pleas of members to let them go home. Why it matters: For senators, the summer recess is next to holy. For the president, confirming his nominees is simply more important. "We're thinking about it," Thune told Axios on Monday about Trump's call to cancel all — or part — of the August break. "We want to get as many noms through the pipeline as we can," he said. But still, August is August. "People are accustomed to going back," Thune said. "This is the time of year when they go back and interact with their constituents and talk about some of the things that we've gotten done." "I do not believe we need to cancel the August recess," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito ( said Monday. "Please wipe that suggestion off of your DNA." Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) vehemently defended the extended break: "You get us for the rest of the year back here, but there's got to be some time when we can actually be addressing the needs of our constituents back home." Driving the news: After Trump's weekend post on Truth Social, leadership has made clear to senators that fiddling with the August recess is on the table. Thune has talked to Trump about the president's goals and told reporters he met with the president on Monday. The intrigue: If Thune moves forward with August votes, there is always the risk of attendance challenges. The Senate requires a minimum of 51 senators for a quorum— and it only takes one Democrat to force a quorum call. With just a three-seat margin, Republicans are "only as strong as our four weakest links," as one senior aide put it. What we're hearing: The Senate is buzzing about what Thune will do, according to conversations with senators and staffers. Senators are likely to put on a brave face and say publicly that they are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish Trump's agenda. But trust us, both sides want to go home. It's more than a vacation from D.C.: Many pack their schedules with official international travel and fundraisers. They also know they need to sell Trump's "big, beautiful bill" to constituents who aren't convinced of its merits. Zoom in: The Senate's schedule has already been relatively brutal — fewer and shorter recess weeks than usual, late-night votes, occasional working Fridays, four all-nighter vote-a-ramas, and 94 confirmed administration officials. With Republicans relying on party-line votes to move forward, Democrats' only leverage has been to make progress as miserable as possible. Trump is "the first president in history that hasn't had a nom adopted by this point in his presidency either by unanimous consent or voice — not a single one," Thune told reporters on Monday. What we're watching: A threat of canceling August recess could also be a negotiation tool to convince Democrats to give them a break on lower-level nominees who ordinarily would have an easier time getting confirmed.
The Hill
a day ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Senate GOP faces tough call over Trump demand to cancel recess
Senate Republicans are weighing whether to heed President Trump's call to cancel some or all of the August recess to approve key nominees or to use the full month to go home and sell the party's tax and spending law to voters, which top Republicans view as crucial to their midterm election hopes. Having passed the party's 'big, beautiful bill' and package to claw back funding for public media and foreign aid, the Senate's plan was to motor ahead on scores of Trump nominations in the next two weeks, then leave for the extended break. But Trump over the weekend urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to keep everyone in town. While some in the GOP would welcome lopping off a portion of the recess, Republicans view a month-long messaging push on the 'big, beautiful bill' as imperative for electoral success, especially with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the National Republican Senatorial Committee's chairman, admitting recently that it is not polling well enough for his liking. 'That's also an important part. We've got to go back and be able to talk to our constituents and explain to them what we just did in a way that will help in the midterm elections, which I know the president and we all care about,' said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who is up for reelection next year and staring down a tricky primary fight. 'This would be one time when we would be back home and be able to do that,' Cornyn said. Thune on Monday kept the door open to keeping Republicans in Washington. 'We're thinking about it. We want to get as many [nominations] through the pipeline as we can,' Thune said at the Capitol. The GOP has more than 130 nominees awaiting floor action, including many out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an initial batch of judicial choices, with more set to be advanced this week. Democrats have refused to concede time on any of the nominations, drawing each one out and forcing Republicans to consider their options. Cornyn allowed that Trump had a 'legitimate point' in complaining about it, and Thune noted that Trump is the first president who has not seen any of his nominees be greenlit via voice vote or by unanimous consent. 'Not a single one,' Thune continued, adding that he and Trump have discussed possibilities of how to handle recess. 'Trying to get his team in place is something that we're very committed to and we're going to be looking at all the options in the next few weeks to try and get as many of those across the finish line as we can.' In addition to nominations, the South Dakota Republican said government funding and the annual National Defense Authorization Act would top the to-do list if members are kept in town. Keeping senators in D.C. in August wouldn't be unprecedented — especially under a Trump presidency. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), then the GOP leader, canceled the first week of the August break in 2017 in order to keep up work to repeal and replace the Affordable Acre Act after the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tanked their 'skinny repeal' push. Just a year later, McConnell went a step further to scrap more than two weeks of the break in order to keep a sizable number of Senate Democrats in Washington instead of allowing them to be back home to campaign ahead of the midterm elections. Feelings about the possibility this go-around are mixed. Conservatives on Monday indicated they are gung-ho about staying in town to advance the president's nominees. Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) said members can remain in Washington and still sell the 'big, beautiful bill' in other creative ways. He noted that he did three tele-town halls last week that attracted 5,000 listeners to each. 'Whatever it takes to get his [nominations] across the finish line, we need to do. … We can still get back [home] on weekends,' he said, saying that it's possible only part of recess is affected. Others, especially those up for reelection in 2026, are hoping Thune and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) can strike a deal to advance a group of less-controversial nominees in a single bloc. Adding to that desire is that the chamber is hitting the tail end of a grueling six-month stretch. The Senate spent the first ten weeks of the year in session, more than double the usual amount. Lawmakers also took part in four overnight vote-a-ramas and saw their July 4 recess significantly curtailed due to passage of the tax law. 'Cooler heads can prevail,' said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who is likely running for a third term next year. 'Getting back home is our opportunity … to get back in when we haven't had the chance because we've been in session so much lately. A lot of us were kind of planning on the August time to really get back in and reestablish with some of those organizations we haven't had a chance to talk to this year.' Rounds was also curt when asked if Thune should cancel the planned break. 'No,' he said. 'Of course not.' Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) concurred, as she represents a state that is not only furthest away and the most difficult commute from D.C., but also difficult to traverse within. Many communities in Alaska are only reachable to plane and August is the only time she can visit some. 'How do I do all of this if I don't have time out there?' Murkowski said. 'Our states are big. This is part of my day job too. You get us for the rest of the year back here, but there's got to be some time when we can actually be addressing the needs of our constituents back home.' 'I guard this recess,' she said, taking issue with the phrase 'recess.' 'Do you realize all the pictures I'm getting from people back home? … People are dipnetting, they're hauling in their fish, and I'm just looking at it thinking, 'I haven't even been able to do serious fishing, much less fun fishing.''
