Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is using the ultimate trump card.
Thune is leaning heavily on President Donald Trump to help push the GOP reconciliation package, ‘the big, beautiful bill,’ through the Senate, Punchbowl News reported.
Thune is hopeful that Trump can wrangle the various factions in the Republican conference to help get the necessary votes needed to pass the bill, Punchbowl said.
Thune is making Trump a day-to-day part of the process, and Trump has been calling senators to discuss their concerns about the budget bill, according to the outlet.
Punchbowl said this marks a change in the Senate GOP conference and differs from the leadership style of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the longtime leader of Senate Republicans, who stepped down after the 2024 election.
McConnell used a top-down approach that eventually grated on his colleagues, while Thune prefers to let the Senate GOP work things out on its own, according to Punchbowl.
The Senate Finance Committee plans to meet with Trump at the White House Thursday afternoon. The panel, chaired by Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, is tasked with shepherding Trump campaign promises like no taxes on tips or overtime pay and tax cuts for seniors, Punchbowl said.
Republicans are also grappling with the State and Local Tax Deduction cap, which became a red line for blue-state Republicans in the House, Punchbowl said.
Crapo’s committee also has jurisdiction over Medicaid cuts, which has caused concern for moderate Republicans and senators with large numbers of Medicaid recipients in their states, Punchbowl said.
Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., a member of the finance committee, said he wants Trump to tell tax writers what to focus on.
“We need his leadership to say of all the things we could do, here’s my priorities,” Marshall told Punchbowl.
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