Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) appeared on Fox News with Sean Hannity to discuss legislative priorities related to tax policy, Medicaid reform, and foreign policy concerns regarding Iran.

Thune highlighted the focus of current tax legislation on working Americans. He stated, "I think for the most part, this is designed to help working Americans, people who are getting up every day, going to work – and this gives them some relief. And I think that’s what the president was focused on, is delivering relief for working-class families. That’s why we lock in the rates, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act rates. We make permanent the expanded child tax credit and the increased standard deduction. And then you add those four things that the president campaigned on, so this will be a good, strong bill for middle-income Americans when it comes to tax relief."

He further explained expectations for legislative agreement among Republicans: "And then, of course, there are all kinds of other things, as you know, in it that we think it needs to be passed. We believe that the president and, you know, the House and the Senate are all going to be on the same page when it’s all said and done, and we’ll get a bill that we can put on his desk that he’ll be happy with and that the American people will benefit from, that’ll make us both stronger and more prosperous."

Addressing proposed changes to Medicaid, Thune emphasized targeting resources appropriately by eliminating improper use of funds: "We want to make sure that we are rooting out the Biden-era waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program, and making sure that it’s targeted and directed … at the people for whom it was intended. And if you’re an illegal immigrant, or you’re somebody who’s ineligible for the program, or you’re an able-bodied adult who should be working to benefit from it, those are reforms that root out waste, fraud, and abuse."

He continued: "And so, yeah, we tighten some things up, we make the program more workable, strengthened, and improved and targeted to the people who really need it. It’s designed to help out … pregnant moms and disabled and elderly Americans. That’s what Medicaid is there for."

Thune responded to criticism about potential cuts: "I mean, everybody’s talking, the Democrats are out there clamoring, screaming about cutting Medicaid. It doesn’t cut Medicaid. It slows the rate of growth. And we’ve got to slow the rate of growth or that program is going to be unsustainable, just like a lot of other federal programs that have been growing out of control."

On foreign policy matters concerning Iran's nuclear activities and regional influence in the Middle East region over recent decades—which has led many U.S. lawmakers to call for stronger diplomatic or strategic responses—Thune commented: "That’s what Israel is facing on a daily basis, and that’s what the rest of the world will be facing if Iran continues its reign of terror. I mean, they have menaced that region and the world now for 50 years, and it’s high time that that stop. And I think President Trump is in a position – whether by diplomacy or supporting Israel and what they’re doing – whether it comes forcefully or voluntarily, Iran needs to end its nuclear program. It’s as simple as that. That’s got to be the end state."