The Senate isn't known for moving quickly, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is hoping to defy that reputation. His goal is to pass his chamber's version of the GOP megabill with enough time to have it on President Donald Trump's desk by July 4. The looming task for the GOP caucus leader will test how much power the Senate still maintains in the age of Trump.
Since becoming majority leader on Jan. 3, Thune has had to juggle numerous competing interests. He's had to negotiate strategy with his House counterpart, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and the two haven't always seen eye to eye. He's had to keep his own caucus in line enough to get even Trump's least qualified Cabinet nominees confirmed. And he's had to placate the White House, not to mention the Department of Government Efficiency, even as the executive branch has tried to strip power from the legislature.
So far Thune has rolled with the punches. There were no embarrassing floor defeats for Trump's appointees, the federal government remains funded through September, and the House and the Senate eventually landed on a budget strategy focused on packing everything into a single bill. The megabill presents its own set of challenges, though, as competing factions within Thune's caucus hope to reshape the House bill.
This is a preview of Hayes Brown's latest column. Read the full column here.
