Wary Senate Republicans have demands for John Thune
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Some of Senate GOP leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) lawmakers are demanding more — in details, time and spending cuts — before they accept his accelerated clock on budget reconciliation.
Why it matters: In the Senate, speed doesn't necessarily kill. But deliberation does, as Thune knows.
- He's betting that he and President Trump can quickly resolve the internal Senate GOP differences. The Senate had been eyeing the week of April 7 for a vote, but Thune's telling them to be ready next week.
- But even with that compressed calendar, senators want to extract promises on spending cuts — especially if they are going to vote for a debt ceiling increase.
- "It feels like we're moving in the right direction," said Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.). "We short-circuit the process ... and vote prematurely, I won't be comfortable with signing up for that expedited timeline."
Zoom in: "It makes it that much more important that we get the top-line budget numbers right," Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) told us about a debt ceiling increase. He's insisting that the budget use the Senate's $6 trillion number for next year's spending.
- "I don't love it, but I understand that it is what the White House wants," Lee said about attaching a debt limit hike.
- Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) hinted he'd vote against any resolution that didn't cut more spending: "We have to return to reasonable level pre-pandemic spending and a process to actually achieve it,"
- Young still has reservations about adopting a current policy score, which would zero out the cost of Trump's tax cuts. "I'm hoping we get ample time to give me those details," he said.
The bottom line: Trump thinks of the debt ceiling as a nuisance. Some GOP senators think of it as a tool.
- Trump tried to get the debt ceiling raised before he was even president, in December, but that failed.
- The House wants to roll it into their reconciliation bill, and Senate Republican leaders are now on board, but senators like Lee aren't convinced.
