John Thune News

The Daily Signal covers John Thune with conservative reporting on his role as Senate Majority Leader, legislative strategy, conservative priorities, confirmation battles, floor management, and his leadership advancing the Republican agenda in the United States Senate.
Filter articles by
  • opinion

    Thune Flubs SAVE America Act, Flees for 5-Week Break
    Does Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., secretly want Republicans to lose the midterm elections?  Rather than pass the SAVE America Act and other key legislation, the majority “leader” adjourned the Senate for a 36-day break. SAVE’s absence makes Capitol Hill even steeper to climb, if Republicans hope to maintain control after November. Thune’s less-than-flaccid “leadership” rivals his…
    Deroy Murdock
    Read More
  • news

    What Vance Told Senate Republicans About SAVE America Behind Closed Doors
    Vice President JD Vance attended the Senate GOP lunch Thursday to stir up support for the White House’s top priorities before a looming deadline. The Senate has one day left before its five-week recess, and the clock is ticking to pass the SAVE America Act. Invited by his home-state ally, Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, Vance…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
    Read More
  • opinion

    Americans Are Demanding the SAVE America Act. Guess What the Senate Did Instead?
    For months, conservatives have asked, pleaded, and ultimately demanded action on the SAVE America Act. The legislation seeks to restore confidence in America’s elections at a time when voters in both parties are losing faith in the process. A Pew Research Center survey released this week found that just 55% of Americans are confident this…
    Robert B. Bluey
    Read More
  • news

    SAVE America Is Heading in a ‘Very Favorable Direction’  
    Efforts to advance the SAVE America Act received a boost on Wednesday afternoon following what Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, described as a “very productive” Senate Republican meeting. Lee said discussions have moved in a “very favorable direction.” “We’re talking now much more about how best to do this—not whether to stay and work on the…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
    Read More
  • analysis

    Republicans Have Been Here Before. In 2008, They Refused to Go Home.
    The year was 2008, and a group of insurgent Republicans mounted a rebellion on the floor of the House of Representatives as Congress bolted for the August recess.  Speaker Nancy Pelosi had adjourned the chamber without a vote on offshore drilling. Republicans refused to leave. The microphones were cut, the C-SPAN cameras went dark, and…
    Robert B. Bluey
    Read More
  • news

    GOP Preps for Trump Visit as Thune Emphasizes Defense Bill Over SAVE Act
    Tomorrow, President Donald Trump will be at the Capitol speaking with senators about the SAVE America Act. When asked about the meeting’s priorities, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the press he has others. Amid major disagreements within the Senate GOP, Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., invited the president to attend the Senate Steering Committee lunch…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
    Read More
  • news

    Roberts Lobbies for Senate to Bundle SAVE America Act With FISA
    The SAVE America Act must be passed by the Senate as soon as possible, Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts said on Wednesday. Roberts appeared on “The VINCE Show,” hosted by Vince Coglianese, and said he supports President Donald Trump pushing for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to include the SAVE America Act. “We’ve been saying…
    Francesca Cella
    Read More
  • news

    A Closed-Door GOP Battle Erupts Over Trump’s Plan
    Senate Republicans are refusing to follow President Donald Trump’s demands to add the SAVE America Act to the time-sensitive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act extension. Behind a closed-door GOP lunch on Wednesday, senators piled on the one colleague fighting hardest for the SAVE America Act. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., expressed their…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
    Read More
  • news

    Thune: Intelligence Director Confirmation Could Break the FISA Deadlock
    The United States has gone four days without congressional authorization of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Section 702, a key component of America’s national security. The federal government relies on it to surveil foreigners without a warrant, looking for potential threats to the country. Senate Majority Leader John Thune suggests that confirming a director of…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
    Read More
  • opinion

    Senate GOP Leaders Pull a Bait-and-Switch With Reconciliation 3.0
    Conservatives have every right to feel betrayed by the Republican Congress’ recent antics. Free marketeers, from the U.S. House to homes across America, were told in April to accept Senate Republican Leader John Thune’s emaciated Reconciliation 2.0 bill. The South Dakotan employed a limited-use budget procedure that obviates that pesky 60-vote filibuster threshold and permits passage via simple…
    Deroy Murdock
    Read More
  • news

    Thune Blocks Murkowski’s Iran War Vote
    Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is blocking a push by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to force a Republican vote on authorizing the use of military force against Iran beyond the 60‑day window set by the 1973 War Powers Act. Thune has so far declined to schedule a vote on Murkowski’s proposed authorization for use…
    Pedro Rodriguez
    Read More
  • exclusive

    Thune Wants Senators to Stop Talking About This Trump Priority
    Senate Majority Leader John Thune encouraged senators to stop talking about President Donald Trump’s stated priority of nuking the filibuster, according to two sources familiar with the matter.  After a few moderates at the Senate’s Wednesday steering lunch urged the Republican conference not to talk about nuking the filibuster, Thune agreed that the move lacks…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    Read More
  • news

    ‘SHOW VOTE’: Conservatives Outraged at Thune’s Decision to Vote on SAVE America Act Without Talking Filibuster
    A source familiar with the matter has confirmed to The Daily Signal that Senate Majority Leader John Thune will bring the SAVE America Act to a vote next week without moving forward with a talking filibuster. The suspected vote was previously reported by Politico and the Washington Examiner.  “I can confirm, it looks like Thune…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon | Pedro Rodriguez | Bradley Devlin
    Read More
  • news

    Leavitt Responds to Thune’s Hesitancy to Prioritize SAVE America Act
    White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reacted to Senate Majority Leader John Thune saying the math doesn’t add up to pass President Donald Trump’s SAVE America Act. “I think the urgency behind his need to pass the SAVE America Act and his desire to get this country- saving legislation passed have been made quite clear,”…
    Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell
    Read More
  • news

    THUNE: DHS Shutdown Very Likely
    Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced that a shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security is likely when the clock strikes midnight on Friday, due to a lack of agreement with Democrats on funding the agency. “We don’t have a solution yet,” Thune, R-S.D., told reporters outside the Senate floor Thursday afternoon. “The Democrats, at…
    George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    Nearly 100 Conservative Leaders Urge Thune to Pass the SAVE America Act With Talking Filibuster
    Ahead of an expected vote on the SAVE America Act in the House, nearly 100 conservative leaders are urging the Senate to pass the election integrity measure using the talking filibuster. The SAVE America Act, an updated version of the SAVE Act, would secure America’s elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and requiring…
    Virginia Grace McKinnon
    Read More
  • news

    Thune Saves Funding Deal in Senate
    The Senate passed legislation to fund the government by a 71-29 vote on Friday, setting the stage for what is expected to be a brief, partial government shutdown over the weekend. The deal, if passed by the House and signed by President Donald Trump, will fund a number of federal agencies and buy time for…
    George Caldwell
    Read More
  • news

    ‘HUGE DEAL’: Thune Pledges Election Security Vote in Senate
    Some Senate Republicans supported Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s promise to hold a vote on an amended election security bill.  Thune, R-S.D., on Wednesday called for adding a voter ID mandate to a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote in a federal election.  “At some point, we’ll have that vote,” Thune said of the…
    Fred Lucas
    Read More
  • news

    Thune Rejects Democrats’ Latest Obamacare Demand as Senate Considers New Budget Resolution
    As the Senate convened for a rare session on Sunday to possibly vote in favor of a potential “short term funding measure,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune shut down a Nov. 8 proposal from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that would have provided new subsidies for Obamacare. “The Democrat leader’s proposal is a non-starter for…
    Lorenzo Prieto
    Read More
  • news

    Thune Defends Justice System Amid Comey Indictment, Urges Trust in Legal Process
    While it’s a “highly charged time” in America, our judicial system is in place for a reason, reminded Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Sunday. Thune joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” where he discussed former FBI Director James Comey’s recent indictments and a possible government shutdown. The Department of Justice charged Comey with perjury and…
    Olivia Pero
    Read More