Rushmore State News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) appeared on Fox News with Bret Baier to discuss several legislative issues currently before Congress.

Thune addressed the proposed rescissions package, which would cut $9 billion from federal spending. He emphasized that this amount represents a small fraction of overall government expenditures and described it as an opportunity to address inefficiencies in federal programs. “In my view, this shouldn’t be a hard one. It’s $9 billion. It’s one-tenth of 1 percent of all federal spending, and it’s a chance for us to claw back some of the waste, fraud, and abuse in a lot of these programs. So I’m hoping, we’re going through an amendment process right now. We’re voting on the floor on a series of amendments, most of them offered by Democrats who are trying to gut the bill. But in the end, I hope we’ll have the votes to pass it,” Thune said.

He noted concerns about national debt levels: “[W]e’re $36 trillion in debt, and we just don’t have any options anymore. We’ve run out of options. We’ve got to start doing the hard work.”

Thune also highlighted party divisions over fiscal policy: “I think $9 billion is a very small amount of money – as I mentioned, one-tenth of 1 percent of all federal spending – and that’s why I’m hoping on the final vote tonight that we can keep our Republicans together, knowing that we’re not going to get any help from Democrats, who are averse in any form to cutting federal spending, unless it applies to defense. They’re always happy to cut defense spending.”

He continued by stressing the need for comprehensive budget review: “But we’ve got to look at all aspects of the federal budget and figure out where we can root out waste, fraud, and abuse, to put this country on a more sustainable fiscal path. We just can’t sustain where we are.”

On legislative strategy heading into elections, Thune referenced what he called "One Big Beautiful Bill": “I think One Big Beautiful Bill gives [Republicans] a record to run on.” He added: “[T]he Democrat Party gives us a great opportunity, because they have moved so far left. And so there’s a big universe of voters out there that are available, that if we deliver the right message – and I think the Big Beautiful Bill and what it does to support working Americans, middle-income Americans, is going to be very compelling to them.”

Addressing cooperation between parties in Congress, Thune said: “I just think [Democrats] are completely outside the mainstream when it comes to where the majority of Americans are on a lot of the issues. But I would hope, at least for the functioning of our government, that they would be willing to work with us on some things. They haven’t been so far.

“I’m hoping that on some appropriation bills – there have been a couple examples where there’ve been bipartisan bills, don’t get me wrong. The president signed one today down at the White House. But I think as a general matter when it comes to the president’s nominees … this president President Trump is the first president since Herbert Hoover who hasn’t had one of his nominees approved either by voice vote or unanimous consent. The Democrats are blocking obstructing and delaying at every juncture – even on nominees that have broad bipartisan support.”

On foreign policy matters involving Russia and Ukraine under President Trump’s administration Thune stated: “I think what the president … starts from … a proposition that he wants peace in these areas of conflict around the world. But at some point there’s got to be leverage on Russia and right now they are continuing to fire into areas where they are killing innocent civilians and they don’t seem to be willing to negotiate So there are many of us and Senator Graham has a bill up here which has 85 cosponsors that would put tough sanctions on Russia.

“The president … has decided to move sort of unilaterally on that front both on sanctions and with respect to weapons delivery to Ukraine So I think he understands what it’s going take get Russians table We want work him partners And when he green-lights legislation we'll move forward with it.”