Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) appeared on The Hugh Hewitt Show to discuss ongoing legislative efforts and recent developments in national policy.

Thune addressed the status of a significant bill currently under consideration, expressing optimism about its passage before July 4. He said, “I still think we get this done this weekend … There’s a ton of swirl, and like I said, the new stuff coming at us every day. But if we can get it across the floor in the Senate and back over to the House, … my hope would be that they could figure out a way to execute on passing it there and get it on the president’s desk.

“And we’re going to be voting here, if we stay on schedule, Hugh, this weekend. I would guess a lot of the voting will happen on Saturday … We’re waiting for all the Byrd bath rulings, which are taking a lot longer because the Democrats are contesting and challenging pretty much everything.

“But if we can get this done, it’ll be a huge win for the American people. I mean, this is the biggest spending reduction in history, tax relief for working Americans, commitment to energy dominance, modernizing our military, securing our border.

“This really is the president’s agenda … incorporated into this particular piece of legislation, and I’m hoping that not only can we get Republicans in the House and the Senate to rally behind it – but get it on the president’s desk [and] signed into law, so that the American people who voted for him and voted for this agenda can benefit from it.”

Thune also commented on state and local tax (SALT) deduction policies. He stated: “[I]n the Senate, there isn’t a single Senate Republican who cares much about this issue. And frankly, in my view, at least, this was one of the better policy reforms in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act – and that is, for the first time, … not having low-tax days subsidize high-tax states. So it was a good policy reform, and we want to keep as much of it as we can.

“We know, in order to get the votes in the House, we’re going to have to … make a deal there … It’s something that is a political necessity, and that’s what’s requiring … the Senate to give some ground there. But if [we] were just left to our own devices, we like the policy right where it is.”

On U.S. actions regarding Iran's nuclear program and recent military operations targeting Iranian capabilities, Thune remarked: “I think there’s no doubt that their – Iran’s – nuclear program was severely set back as a result of what were … very precise, and I’d have to say, incredibly impressive strikes, the way it was executed. And as General Caine briefed yesterday, the final damage assessment will obviously take some time, but I expect that we’ll get an interim update.

“We’ve got an all-senators briefing tomorrow that Secretary Rubio and Secretary Hegseth are going to be at … to answer questions. But I mean, I think you have to give the president incredible credit …

“I was a senior in high school in 1979 when the shah was overthrown and the Carter administration’s many mishaps kind of were not unlike what we saw with Biden the last four years in terms of dealing with folks on the global stage. And the president did something that was just historic … I voted for Ronald Reagan in my first presidential election in 1980, in many respects because I saw that peace through strength in him, and the country was desperately looking for that at the time.

“The country was desperately looking for that this time around and I think that’s why they, people across this country voted for President Trump.”