Category: John thune
Trump-backed Republican launches bid to challenge GOP Senate incumbent
Republican Rep. Julia Letlow of Louisiana officially launched her campaign to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) just days after securing an endorsement from President Donald Trump.
Trump came out in support of Letlow on Saturday, calling her a “Big Star” who would embrace the MAGA agenda. Although Republican operatives like the National Republican Senatorial Committee customarily endorse the incumbent, Cassidy’s controversial votes may have cost him the support of the president.
‘I am confident I will win.’
“I’m honored to have President Trump’s endorsement and trust,” Letlow said in a post on X. “My mission is clear: to ensure the nation our children inherit is safer and stronger.”
“This United States Senate seat belongs to the people of Louisiana, because we deserve conservative leadership that will not waver.”
RELATED: ‘Federal dollars should not pay for abortion, period’: Sen. Cassidy doubles down on Hyde, abortion pill restrictions
Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
While the race is shaping up to be a contested Republican primary, the NRSC is letting the chips fall where they may.
The Senate Republicans’ campaign arm is holding off from spending money on Cassidy, whom the NRSC endorsed, because “Louisiana will be won by a Republican regardless” and because the group doesn’t want to oppose the president, according to a source familiar with the NRSC’s decision-making.
RELATED: GOP senator warns Republicans will lose future elections if party continues to ‘idolize’ Trump
Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
Notably, Cassidy was one of the few Republicans who voted to go forward with Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021, later voting to convict the president. Despite this, Cassidy remains confident about his race.
“I’m proudly running for re-election as a principled conservative who gets things done for the people of Louisiana,” Cassidy said after Trump endorsed Letlow. “If Congresswoman Letlow decides to run I am confident I will win.”
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Thune-Aligned Super PAC Sets Off-Year Fundraising Record With $180 Million Haul
The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) in 2025 shattered its off-year fundraising record, pulling in $180 million as Republicans gear up for the midterm elections, the group announced Monday.
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Democrats Despise Trump’s Signature Law — Except For The Millions Going To Their States
Democrats are praising investments in rural health care created by President Donald Trump’s landmark tax and spending cut law after railing against the legislation for months. The Trump administration in late December announced first-year state awards for its $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program: a fund created by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to […]
Senate confirms more Trump nominees, surpassing Biden-era confirmation pace after deploying nuclear option
The Republican-held Senate approved a third batch of nominees Thursday night, surpassing the confirmation pace from previous presidencies.
Under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), the Senate confirmed 97 more nominees in a 53-43 vote. In 2025 alone, the Senate confirmed 417 of President Donald Trump’s nominees, leaving just 15 nominees on the docket.
‘It’s a pettiness that leaves desks sitting empty.’
This confirmation rate greatly outpaced former President Joe Biden, who had 365 nominees greenlit through the Senate in 2021.
This unprecedented confirmation pace came after Thune deployed the nuclear option in September to address the ballooning number of nominees awaiting their confirmations over the summer.
RELATED: John Thune to use Democrats’ own ‘nuclear option’ to defeat Senate confirmation blockade
Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Thune changed the vote threshold in September for sub-Cabinet level positions, allowing nominees to be confirmed in large groups as opposed to individual, tedious votes Democrats consistently tried to obstruct.
“It’s delay for delay’s sake, and it’s a pettiness that leaves desks sitting empty in agencies across the federal government and robs our duly elected president of a team to enact the agenda that the American people voted for in November,” Thune said in an op-ed for Breitbart.
RELATED: ‘This is a must-win’: These 4 Republicans voted against banning trans surgeries on children
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
“Republicans aren’t going to tolerate this obstruction any longer,” Thune added. “We have tried to work with Democrats in good faith to batch bipartisan, noncontroversial nominees and clear them expeditiously, according to past precedent. Democrats have stood in the way at every turn.”
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‘Blind allegiance’: Thune lays into blue states passing up Trump tax relief
With major tax breaks just around the corner, Senate Majority Leader John Thune reveals the real reason Democrats are skipping out on major tax breaks.
Several blue states across the country are opting out of the major tax breaks promised in President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, including provisions like deductions for seniors and no tax on tips. These tax breaks are set to go into effect on January 1, 2026.
‘They are doing it because of Trump derangement syndrome or a blind allegiance to high-tax policies.’
These policies are popular across the political spectrum, yet Democrats are depriving their constituents of the opportunity to reap the benefits. Some of these states include Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Maine, as well as Washington, D.C.
The Treasury Department called this a deliberate act of “partisan stonewalling,” suggesting Democrats are denying their constituents crucial financial relief.
RELATED: Blue-state ‘Grinches’ are stealing your tax relief, says Treasury Secretary Bessent
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion,” the department stated. “By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state tax burdens, robbing them of the relief they deserve and exacerbating the financial squeeze on low- and middle-income households.”
Thune echoed the department’s concerns, saying Democrats are getting in the way of overdue tax relief for millions of hardworking Americans.
“Affordability starts with more money in your pocket,” Thune told Blaze News. “Republicans passed the Working Families Tax Cuts so that every working family, regardless of where they live, can have more money and new opportunities to get ahead.”
“It is outrageous that Democrat politicians would try to stop seniors, tipped workers, and people who work overtime from receiving this historic tax relief,” Thune added.
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Thune speculated that the Democrats’ refusal to embrace even Trump’s most popular policies is rooted in an inexplicable “blind allegiance” to high taxes, or just plain old Trump derangement syndrome.
“Whether they are doing it because of Trump derangement syndrome or a blind allegiance to high-tax policies, Democrat leaders like Governor Mills, Hochul, and Pritzker are making explicitly clear that Democrats prioritize high taxes and regulatory burdens over the financial well-being of the people they represent,” Thune added, referring to Governors Janet Mills of Maine, Kathy Hochul of New York, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois.
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Republicans race to pass competing health care bill as clock ticks on Obamacare subsidies
With the deadline to extend Obamacare subsidies fast approaching, Republican lawmakers are leading the charge.
Former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act has been the focal point of health care discussions on Capitol Hill as ACA subsidies are expected to expire at the end of the year. These are the same subsidies Senate Democrats cited as the basis of their record-breaking shutdown.
The Republicans’ legislation blocks funds for ‘gender transition procedures’ and abortions.
In response, several Republicans introduced their own legislation, including the Health Care Freedom for Patients Act penned by Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Mike Crapo of Idaho.
With just weeks until these subsidies lapse, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (S.D.) will hold a vote on that key legislation on Thursday.
Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
The Crapo-Cassidy bill would allow the Obama-era subsidies to lapse, instead boosting funds for health savings accounts. Eligible adults under the age of 50 would receive $1,000 deposited into their HSA while those between the ages 50 and 64 would get $1,500.
It would also fund cost-sharing reduction payments and provide eligible Americans the option to purchase “bronze” or “catastrophic” health care plans. Notably the Republicans’ legislation blocks funds for “gender transition procedures” and abortions.
Although Republicans are expected to vote for the legislation, it is unlikely to pass due to the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Assuming all 53 Republicans vote in favor of the bill, at least seven Democrats would have to cross the aisle for the legislation to pass the Senate.
RELATED: Democrat senator makes stunning admission about Obamacare failures
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Other Republicans, like Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, are also introducing alternative health care bills. Scott introduced his More Affordable Care Act alongside Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (Texas), who spearheaded the companion bill in the House.
Scott and Pfluger’s bill would create Trump Health Freedom Accounts, redirecting federal subsidies traditionally sent to insurance companies to these HSA-style accounts held by individual Americans. The bill would also establish a Health Freedom Waiver Program, allowing states to broaden their health plans and expand competition to offer fairer prices.
At this time, there is no vote scheduled for Scott’s legislation.
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A payout scheme for senators deepens the gap between DC and the rest of us
During the final hours of the shutdown fight earlier this month, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) slipped a toxic provision into the continuing resolution that reopened the government. The clause created a special pathway for select senators to sue the federal government, bypass its usual legal defenses, and claim large payouts if their records were subpoenaed during the Arctic Frost investigation.
The result? About eight senators could demand $500,000 for every “instance” of seized data. Those instances could stack, pushing potential payouts into the tens of millions of taxpayer dollars. That is not an exaggeration. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has all but celebrated the prospect.
Graham said he wanted ‘tens of millions of dollars’ for seized records while victims of weaponization still face shattered lives.
No one else would qualify for compensation. Only senators. Anyone who spent years helping victims of political weaponization — often pro bono, while prestige law firms chased billable hours — can see the corruption in plain view. The message this provision sends on the central Trump-era promise of accountability could not be weaker: screw the people, pay the pols.
The surveillance of senators was wrong. It should never have happened. But senators did not face what ordinary Americans endured. Senators maintain large campaign accounts to hire top lawyers. They operate out of official offices, armed with constitutional protections such as the Speech and Debate Clause. They do not lose their homes, jobs, savings, or businesses. Thousands of Americans did. Many still face legal bills, ruined livelihoods, and ongoing cases. They deserve restitution — not the politicians who failed them.
Graham helped push this provision forward. As public criticism grew, he defended it. On Sean Hannity’s show the other day, he said: “My phone records were seized. I’m not going to put up with this crap. I’m going to sue.” Hannity asked how much. Graham replied: “Tens of millions of dollars.”
Democrats will replay that clip across every battleground in the country going into an uphill midterm battle in 2026.
Graham embodies the worst messenger for this fight. He helped fuel weaponization long before he claimed victimhood. He urged the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to pass the Steele dossier to the FBI. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, he did nothing to slow the Justice Department and FBI as they pursued political targets. He even supported many of President Joe Biden’s judicial nominees who later embraced aggressive lawfare tactics. If anyone owed restitution to victims, Graham sits high on the list.
RELATED: Trump’s pardons expose the left’s vast lawfare machine
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
Fortunately, enough Republicans recognize the political and moral disaster of funneling taxpayer funds to senators while real victims remain abandoned. The House advanced a measure today to repeal the provision. Led by Reps. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) and Chip Roy (R-Texas), the House forced the Senate to address in public what it attempted to smuggle through in private.
Thune defended the measure in comments to Axios. He argued that only senators suffered statutory violations and said the provision was crafted to avoid covering House members. He did not explain why any House member who was illegally surveilled should receive no remedy.
The Senate leader also claimed the financial penalty would deter a future Justice Department from targeting lawmakers, citing the actions of special counsel Jack Smith. His emphasis on “future” misconduct glossed over a critical fact: The provision is retroactive and would cover past abuses.
That defense cannot survive daylight. Repeal requires 60 Senate votes, and not a single Democrat will fight to preserve a payout for Graham. Republicans should not try either. Efforts to strike the measure need to begin immediately. Senators — especially Thune — should commit to an up-or-down vote. If they want to send tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to Graham, they should do it in public, with the country watching.
Washington already reeks of grift and self-dealing this year. If senators protect this provision, that smell will spread nationwide.
