Northeast South Dakota News

U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) recently appeared on Fox News with Bret Baier, discussing several key issues facing the nation.

Thune addressed the rescissions package, emphasizing its significance in managing federal spending. He noted, “[I]n 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.” He expressed hope that Republicans would unite to pass the measure despite opposition from Democrats.

Discussing fiscal responsibility, Thune stated, “[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.” He highlighted the need for bipartisan cooperation in reducing unnecessary expenditures.

Thune also spoke about what he termed the "Big Beautiful Bill," which he believes provides Republicans with a strong platform: “I think One Big Beautiful Bill gives [Republicans] a record to run on.” He suggested that Democrats' policies create opportunities for Republicans to appeal to middle-income Americans.

Regarding Democratic opposition, Thune remarked on their obstructionist stance: “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.”

On foreign policy matters involving President Trump and Russia, Thune acknowledged Trump's efforts towards peace but emphasized leverage over Russia as crucial: “But at some point there’s got to be leverage on Russia... Senator Graham has a bill up here which has 85 cosponsors that would put tough sanctions on Russia.”