Thune faces mounting Trump reconciliation pressure heading into summer sprint

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is facing deepening pressure from all sides — especially President Trump — as he prepares to navigate a packed to-do list headlined by a government funding bill and third reconciliation bill.The Senate is closing in on its last two weeks before an extended recess, which could set the tone for the high-stakes midterm autumn. Thune is contending with moderates eyeing the midterms, hard-liners demanding concessions, a group of disgruntled outgoing Republicans willing to stymie Trump at multiple turns — and Trump himself, who has not been shy about making his displeasure with the majority leader known. That, potential attendance issues and a ticking clock will make it especially tricky to move the GOP’s top priorities before the Senate breaks on Aug. 7. 

And Thune is already facing friction with the White House over how to proceed and what should be the Senate’s top priority.

The first priority, according to Thune, is funding the government to avert a shutdown in October. Trump, however, wants the Senate to prioritize a House-passed $95 billion reconciliation framework, which includes $73 billion in funding for the Pentagon and intelligence agencies, $12 billion for farmers and $10 billion for election-related reforms. Those election reforms, in the form of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, have been Trump’s top legislative priority, but the act has been repeatedly blocked in the Senate.

That conflict will likely set the tenor for the coming weeks.

Thune said last week that the budget resolution, which would serve as the blueprint for a third reconciliation bill, does not have the 50 votes needed to advance in the Senate.

“As I’ve said before, you got to get to 50, and I can’t count to 50 right now on a budget resolution,” Thune said when asked about whether the Senate would move the House-passed framework for reconciliation.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is retiring at the end of the term and has been increasingly vocal on a number of issues, earlier this month vowed to stymie any bill with the SAVE America Act attached.

“If I see a reconciliation bill come from the House with another failed attempt to confuse this election, I will use every device I have........

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