Senate Republican leader John Thune is slowing President Donald Trump’s election bill while he tries to keep the U.S. government funded, setting up a clash inside the party over which fight comes first.
House Republicans have advanced a framework for another party-line budget package that includes a possible route to pass part of the SAVE America Act in the Senate. The bill is one of Trump’s top election priorities, but Thune wants the Senate to first move a short-term funding extension to avoid a shutdown.
The dispute matters beyond Washington because shutdown fights can affect the federal government’s basic operations and add pressure on allies, markets and agencies that track U.S. policy decisions.
Thune plans to hold the House budget framework while senators negotiate a continuing resolution. Because most spending bills need 60 votes in the Senate, Republicans would need Democratic support unless they attach the funding measure to a separate budget process.
Some Republicans are uneasy with that approach. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said he likes Thune but disagrees with him. “I’ve seen this vampire movie before,” Kennedy said. “He wants to negotiate with the Democrats. I respect that, but right now, if you turn the other cheek to Chuck (Schumer), he’s just gonna stab me in the neck.”
Others backed the funding-first strategy. Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama said Republicans had “a duty and an obligation to try to find” a path forward on keeping the government open.
House leaders want both tracks moving. Majority Leader Steve Scalise said lawmakers “should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time,” arguing that the House was advancing both the election measure and government funding.
Thune said the votes are not yet there. “I can’t count to 50 right now on a budget resolution,” he said. “The priority is funding the government.”
