Dec 12, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Exclusive: Moreno backs Thune's two-step legislative plans

Stephen Neukam

U.S. Senator-elect Bernie Moreno (R-OH) arrives for the Senate Republican leadership elections at the U.S. Capitol on November 13, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Sen.-elect Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) threw his support behind Senate Republican leadership's plan to move a border package as the party's first big legislative push at an Axios event on Thursday morning.

Why it matters: The plan from top Senate Republicans has split the party. Key House conservatives want to move one big package that also includes a major tax bill.

Moreno, a Trump-endorsed conservative, told Axios' Stef Kight that a two-step legislative process makes "much more sense."
Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wants to move a border package before acting on a tax bill, which is another one of the GOP's top priorities.
"Republicans need that little muscle memory around winning and getting things done," Moreno said.

The big picture: Thune's plan has been met with support from fellow Senate Republicans, including allies of President-elect Trump like Moreno.

But House Ways and Means Committee Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who is the top tax Republican in the House, has bristled at the plan.

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Exclusive: Moreno backs Thune's two-step legislative plans

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