Western South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) appeared on America's Newsroom on Fox News, addressing several key political issues.

Regarding Democrats' calls to shut down the government, Thune commented: "[I]n [Senator Schumer’s] case, what he’s hearing is the far left, which has a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome, and they’re making a lot of noise out there, but they don’t represent the heart of the country. The middle of this country... wants us to get things done." He emphasized that government funding is essential for modernization and efficiency.

Thune further criticized Democrats for their role in last year's unresolved issues: "And the Democrats, as I said, left us with this mess from last year, and so we are doing everything we can to clean it up so we can start new on the president’s agenda for this next year."

On passing the continuing resolution, Thune stated: "[W]e need eight [votes], Bill. That’s the magic number... We’ve got Republican support. We’ve got more than the necessary 51 votes in the Senate to pass it." However, he noted that achieving a supermajority requires Democrat cooperation.

Thune also discussed the appropriations process and accused Democrats of being stuck in past election grievances: "[Democrats are] still going through the five stages of grief after the last election... It’s these far-left policies... instead of working for the good of the American people."

He concluded by mentioning future plans: "We are cleaning up their mess... then we’ll turn and pivot and start focusing on fiscal year ‘26 and the president’s agenda – which includes reconciliation and tax cuts."