Thune: Republicans Plow Ahead on Confirming the President’s Nominees
“Republicans remain committed to ensuring that he has his team in place so that he can do the work the American people elected him to do.”
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Click here to watch the video.
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
More of President Trump fixing what Resident Bidum broke.
MAGA!
Oof. The crashing economy is going to hit you hard. You’re so in the cult.
agreed.
From CoPilot (hardly a right leaning platform):
1. Key Economic Indicators
Real GDP Growth
Q3 2025: 4.3% annualized growth, up from 3.8% in Q2 2025 (BEA).
Growth driven by consumer spending, exports, and government spending; investment decreased slightly, imports fell.
First Half 2025: GDP grew 3% in Q2 following a 0.5% contraction in Q1 (Morningstar).
Consumer Spending
Q2 2025: Real personal consumption expenditures increased 1.4% from the previous quarter.
Consumer sentiment remains below 2024 levels, suggesting potential moderation in future spending.
Labor Market
December 2025: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 50,000, with the unemployment rate stable at 4.4% (BLS).
Job gains concentrated in food services, healthcare, and social assistance; retail trade lost jobs.
Earlier in 2025, hiring slowed and there were occasional net job losses, indicating some softness.
Inflation
CPI (November 2025, NSA): +2.7% year-over-year; core CPI +2.6% (excluding food and energy).
Producer Price Index (Final Demand, September 2025): +2.7% year-over-year; monthly increase +0.3%.
Inflation remains elevated due to lingering tariff effects and rising import costs, though the increase has moderated somewhat.
Federal Reserve Policy and Interest Rates
Fed cut the federal funds rate by 0.25% in September 2025 due to cooling labor markets.
Inverted yield curve observed: short-term bond yields exceed long-term yields, historically signaling slower economic growth or possible downturn.
Trade and Investment
U.S. Trade Deficit (October 2025): Decreased to $29.4B, down from $48.1B in September, reflecting higher exports and lower imports.
Current Account Deficit (Q2 2025): Narrowed to $251.3B from $439.8B in Q1.
Foreign Direct Investment (2024): $151B, down 14.2% from 2023 and below the 2014–2023 annual average.
Compensation and Productivity
Total compensation and wages rose 3.5% over the year, with benefit costs rising similarly.
Productivity in the nonfarm business sector increased 4.9%, while unit labor costs decreased 1.9%.
Real average hourly earnings increased 0.8% in November 2025.
Stock Market
Equity markets have shown resilience and rallied in response to Fed rate-cut signals and easing fear of tariffs.
Stock performance indicates continued investor optimism despite underlying economic caution.
2. Outlook for the U.S. Economy
Short-Term Outlook (2026)
GDP growth is expected to moderate in early 2026; Morningstar projects continued slowdown as consumer caution persists.
Inflation may tick up slightly to roughly 2.7%, largely reflecting remaining tariffs, but is expected to ease in the second half of 2026.
Labor market shows some weakening; Fed may consider additional policy adjustments if job growth remains sluggish.
Medium-Term Outlook
Trade and international investment flows suggest gradual stabilization after recent volatility.
Regional economic growth remains heterogeneous; states like North Dakota and Kansas showed strong GDP and income growth in 2025, while others (e.g., Arkansas) lag behind.
Overall, economists anticipate moderate growth with manageable inflation and employment trends, though recession risks cannot be completely ruled out due to yield curve inversion and slower global demand.
Key Risks
Consumer Sentiment vs. Spending: Potential divergence could slow GDP if pessimism translates to reduced expenditures.
Tariffs and Trade Tensions: Ongoing negotiations and tariff impacts may affect prices and inflation.
Global Economic Conditions: Slower foreign growth could influence exports and corporate profits.
Summary
The U.S. economy as of late 2025 exhibits moderate growth, persistent but manageable inflation, and slowing labor market gains. The Federal Reserve has already signaled a lower interest rate trajectory, and short-term indicators suggest a cautious economic environment. While the fundamentals remain solid, vigilance is warranted for trade, sentiment, and external shocks.
References:
Bureau of Economic Analysis – U.S. Economy at a Glance
Morningstar – “How Healthy Is the US Economy?” (2025)
Bureau of Labor Statistics – Economic News Releases (December 2025)
It doesn’t look like there is an imminent crash coming anytime soon. Also, the fact that enquirer agreed is just more affirmation that you are wrong. Hell, he’s been wrong on almost everything he has ever posted.
Using AI to support your arguments isnt supporting your credibility at all. It shows you have a fundamental misunderstanding of how AI works.
again, agreed
And again, the fact that enquirer agreed with you is evidence enough that you are off base.
But yet you didn’t dispute any of the information given.
If I take an hour to look up various websites to compile the information or use the same search terms to let AI compile a summary with the same information, what’s the difference? I think it’s more of a case where you are disappointed that an AI platform, created by a bunch of libs, provided information and data that doesn’t support your hate filled vision of the Trump economy that you view through your demtard crystal ball of delusion.
As opposed to the MAGA source: TrUmP SaiD!
Yeah, I’ll take AI every day of the week.
Majority Leader Thune ramrods the approval of the most unqualified and corrupt cabinet (and hundreds if not thousands of other official posts) in US history. And he is so proud of his “accomplishment”. People considered for appointment by Trump must all agree that the 2020 election was stolen from him. What other specific qualifications did Pete Hegseth, RFK Jr, Ka$h Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, Linda McMahon, Pam Bondi, and Kristi Noem have for their extraordinarily important new jobs? In addition to being dutiful election deniers, they have all demonstrated loyalty to their exalted leader far beyond their loyalty to our Constitution. They are all cut from the same cloth as our current SD Freedom Caucus tinfoil hat election deniers that Pat and so many of you “traditionalists” despise. Enjoy the ride for now, but they are all on the wrong side of history, and for those in that situation things rarely end well.
Senator, the record shows you have voted to approve every one of Trump’s nominees. We can infer from that that you would also have voted to approve Matt Gaetz as attorney general had his nomination not been pulled. Really!! No matter how bad a nominee for a cabinet or other position might be, you seem to be ok with it. Senate has the role of advise and consent. You seem to believe the role is only consent.
come on, don’t stop, let’s see how much worse it can get.