Senator John Thune is faced with a unique set of challenges in his new role as Senate Majority leader in the face of President Trump, who seems to want to stretch the boundaries of presidential power in the balance among the three rings of government. The Associated Press recently posted an article about South Dakota’s own senior US Senator on the job:
At the outset, however, such an outcome was far from assured. President Donald Trump was making demands that the new Senate leader be ready to put the chamber into recess so he could skip over the Senate confirmation process altogether. Faced with that prospect, Thune, a South Dakota Republican, said his message in conversations with the president was, “Let us do this the old-fashioned way and just use the clock and grind it out, and then we’ll see where we go from there.”
That approach has been successful at allowing Thune to show Trump the Senate’s worth while also preserving its constitutional role in installing a president’s Cabinet.
and..
Discussing the reconciliation package as he sat in McConnell’s old leadership office, Thune stressed that for the GOP’s marquee legislation to work, “Everybody’s got to be rolling in the same direction. It takes a lot of teamwork.”
As Trump has entered office with practically total command of the Republican Party and an agenda to upend the federal government and its role in society, Thune acknowledged that Trump has been aggressive in his use of executive power. But he argued that it was no different from how previous presidents wanted to “take as much power as they possibly can,” pointing to President Joe Biden’s moves to cancel student debt and boost government food assistance.
“Our job is to do what we can to support the president and his agenda,” Thune said. “But, you know, be that important check and balance, too, that the Founders intended.
What are your thoughts on the role of the legislative branch in response to President Trump’s actions? Should they be facilitating his agenda, or acting as a gut-check on keeping things from getting too outlandish?
Pfft, we’ve already crossed into too outlandish. Could you imagine Eisenhowers response to the detention, expulsion, and imprisonment in a foreign country’s maximum security prison of other human beings with ZERO due process or proof? How would Teddy Roosevelt react to Trump beginning to pollute and destroy National Lands?Imagine how Regan would react to Trump getting cozy to Russian Butchers?
Any sort of moral compass has left the building, and all that’s left are the impulses of an elderly psychopath and his henchmen. And for daring to point this out, bring up the actual principals this nation was founded on, or speak against Trumps erosion of Law and Order, all you get in return are lame-ass middle school insults like “Libturd”.
Biden eliminating student debt, bad. Overreach of executive power.
Trump unilaterally dismantling the entire office that deals with student loans, good. Perfect use of executive power.
Yeah, I guess I don’t get it. Intellectual consistency is dead because all anyone, dem or republican, will do is point at the other side to justify their own bs. We’re in a race to the bottom
My only thought after reading this, is that when Thune didn’t act on Trumps call to put the Senate in recess – Thune probably put himself on a targeted-for-removal list by this President. He has long decided he is only hampered by the Congress and Courts – and Thune disobeyed. He has clearly demonstrated no regard for anyone or anything but himself and his massive ego.
Citing an AP story while the Orange One bans them from the White House press pool…
Sen. Thune has stepped up Big Time and I cannot praise him enough!! Love what he is doing!