Republicans in the US Senate elected John Thune as the chamber’s new leader on Wednesday, as lawmakers rejected their camp’s preferred nominee to prepare for the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
Thune, who already holds a junior leadership position, bested John Cornyn of Texas to replace outgoing party leader Mitch McConnell, having already defeated Rick Scott of Florida, who is most aligned with Trump. Was seen as an alliance.
“This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda and our work starts today,” Thune, who represents South Dakota, said in a brief statement.
The Senate – the upper house of Congress – jealously guards its independence and institutional authority, and the election of its leadership was seen as a signal of how much leeway members intend to give Trump.
Cornyn had a long history in the chamber, while Thune was always seen as most aligned with the conservative wing of the McConnell-led party.
Trump insiders had preferred Scott, a fervent loyalist who had promised to mount a bid for the president-elect.
Trump’s allies mounted an aggressive campaign against Thune and Cornyn, pressuring individual senators, leading to a backlash – but Trump was wary of Scott’s unpopularity and did not publicly endorse him.
Trump challenged any potential leader on Sunday by demanding that they allow “recess appointments” — naming Cabinet members while the Senate is adjourned, bypassing the body’s normal confirmation process.
Thune – along with others – passed Trump’s loyalty test by answering that he was open to the idea.
Scott’s cheerleaders — a group that includes tech billionaire and Trump confidant Elon Musk and far-right media personality Tucker Carlson — questioned Thune’s commitment to the incoming president, rejecting past opposition.
decisive victory
Trump is expected to further test lawmakers with a series of controversial steps, not least including pardoning several people convicted of crimes related to the attack on the Capitol in 2021.
Other members have expressed displeasure over the Republican president-elect’s plans for hefty import tariffs, though most are behind his tax cut extension—which is expected to significantly increase the national debt.
The House and Senate began their frenetic “useless” session on Tuesday.
Ballots are still being counted in California, but Republicans are widely expected to keep the House after claiming the Senate and the White House last week, handing the party full control of Washington.
The top priority for both parties in both houses is funding the government to keep federal agencies open after Dec. 20, with Republicans considering a stop-gap measure that would keep the lights on into March.
The entire House of Representatives – Democrats as well as Republicans – get a chance to vote on the speaker, meaning Mike Johnson will have to wait until the new Congress convenes in January to find out whether he remains in office. Can stay.
“Republicans in the House and the Senate have a mandate, that’s true. This was a decisive victory across the country,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday.
“The American people want us to implement and deliver the America First agenda.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
