
<p>Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is laying out a legislative roadmap for 2025 with plans to pass a colossal bill within the first month under the new administration.</p>



<p>Thune revealed his legislative priorities during a Republican meeting on Tuesday, telling his colleagues that he intends to swiftly move forward a budget reconciliation bill on border security, defense, and energy within the first 30 days of the new Congress.</p>



<p>Reconciliation is a legislative maneuver used to fast-track bills on issues such as taxes, the debt limit, and federal spending by bypassing the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for passage, instead lowering it to a simple 51-vote majority.</p>



<p>The senator told lawmakers that his next order of business would be legislation focusing on taxes and other top priorities of ;President-elect Donald Trump&#8217;s ;administration.</p>



<p>However, according to reports by Politico, not all Republicans are on board with Thune&#8217;s ramrod approach. A number of House Republicans, including committee chairs key to pulling off the plan, are already raising red flags over the strategy, saying they don’t feel the need to stick to that. The disconnect illustrates the challenge that Republican leaders will have next term: They can preach unity, but they have no room for error as they wrangle at-times raucous members with varied priorities.</p>



<p>“Our members need to weigh in on that. This doesn’t need to be a decision that’s made upon high, okay?” said House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) about the two-step strategy. “We’re all unified around the objectives, [but] how we roll it out, the tactics and strategies, still under discussion.”</p>



<p>This is why the transition team is pushing to pass Trump&#8217;s border priorities as quickly as possible by doing a non-tax reconciliation bill first, a person familiar with the discussions told Politico.</p>



<p>Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, strongly criticized the proposal, labeling the concept of reconciliation as &#8220;reckless.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;If they do that process, I think that they are creating an opportunity to increase taxes for all Americans,&#8221; Smith apparently said.</p>



<p>Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) have been coordinating behind the scenes with Trump and his team, including making trips to Mar-a-Lago to discuss their legislative strategy. Thune has also met with Trump and his team there, according to a person familiar with the matter.</p>



<p>Reconciliation deals are famously difficult to maneuver. While it allows the party controlling both chambers to pass legislation with a simple majority, provisions have to follow certain rules, including that they need to have more of an impact on the budget than on policy. The Senate parliamentarian has thrown out both GOP and Democratic proposals that don’t meet that at-times ambiguous standard.</p>



<p>&#8220;We have to all be on the same page,&#8221; Thune said Wednesday, adding that conversations are ongoing. &#8220;Sometimes it&#8217;s challenging because you&#8217;ve got to have a House, Senate, and White House all pulled in the same direction.&#8221;</p>



<p>Rep. ;Marjorie Taylor Greene ;(R-Ga.) hinted that she believes Republicans should challenge the Senate parliamentarian if she determines that any of the border and immigration policies Republicans try to put into the bill don&#8217;t fall within the strict rules of budget reconciliation. GOP senators have been hesitant to do that over the years since Democrats could turn around and do the same thing when and if they control the majority.</p>



<p>Trump reportedly called into Tuesday&#8217;s meeting to speak with the senators as they discussed legislative priorities, as he will have to work closely with the chamber to move forward with his own agenda.</p>



<p>&#8220;He was thrilled with his victory,&#8221; Sen. John Barrasso, R–Wyo., said of Trump’s call, the Hill reported. &#8220;We have a mandate and an opportunity to do the sorts of things that we campaigned upon in terms of lowering prices, in terms of the border, in terms of getting America back on track.&#8221;</p>

Thune Plans to Push Trump Agenda in the First 30 Days
