Senate Majority Leader John Thune is on a collision course with President Donald Trump, as the president's interventions threaten Republican incumbents and complicate the party's midterm strategy. With an increasingly unfavorable electoral map, Thune's typical focus on protecting incumbents is undermined by Trump's actions, which could end the careers of three or more GOP senators.
The immediate flashpoint is a budget reconciliation bill aimed at funding mass deportations. Trump has added demands for a $1.776 billion fund for targets of the DOJ under previous administrations—a fund Republican senators call a “slush fund”—and $1 billion for a new White House ballroom. The Senate parliamentarian stripped the ballroom funding, but the weaponization fund remains politically toxic, especially as voters focus on dysfunction and rising prices amid the Iran conflict.
Tensions boiled over at a lunch meeting with acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, where Senator Lisa Murkowski said, “Nobody held back.” Former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell delivered a rare rebuke, calling the fund “utterly stupid, morally wrong.” Even Trump loyalist Tommy Tuberville admitted the package lacks 51 votes with the fund included.
The House also stalled, cancelling a War Powers vote on Iran when it became clear the administration would lose. This suggests a growing spine among congressional Republicans, but Thune remains noncommittal about future plans for the ICE funding package or his discussions with the White House. The outcome remains uncertain as the midterms approach.
