Thune in 2023. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
He doesn't have a deep background on energy issues, but Sen. John Thune is now one of the most important figures in the Trump "energy dominance" agenda.
Why it matters: As majority leader, he'll shepherd a major tax and spending package through the GOP conference and determine how the party will cut or revise the IRA.
Zoom in: Thune's views on energy are broadly in line with his party: advocating "all of the above," revising regulatory laws and focusing on energy prices.
- He previewed an early anti-regulatory agenda in a Fox News op-ed this week, pledging to "take a hatchet to the regulatory apparatus choking our economy."
- That could take the form of Congressional Review Act resolutions to peel back regulations, including IRA implementation rules that President Biden has finalized in the back part of his term.
- "He has been a reliable supporter of all-of-the-above energy. He talks it and walks it," Heather Reams, president of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, told Axios.
Between the lines: Thune's from one of the nation's preeminent wind energy states.
- South Dakota gets 55% of total power generation from wind, per EIA. And it's a significant producer of ethanol and hydropower.
- Thune, in turn, has historically supported the wind production tax credit, and he's worked with Democrats on implementation of the IRA's provisions for sustainable aviation fuel.
- But South Dakota has also notably rejected IRA money for home efficiency upgrades.
Flashback: Thune chaired the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee during Trump's first term. He was involved in the administration's long-standing push to do an infrastructure bill, as well as autonomous vehicle legislation.
- Though he's occasionally been a bipartisan operator, he ultimately voted against the bipartisan infrastructure law as minority whip.
- He's got a history of sponsoring and supporting legislation to bolster NOAA weather forecasting, which could make it more difficult for Trump to follow Project 2025's suggestion to gut the agency.
What we're watching: Thune's elevation could lead to some trade policy clashes with Trump, who's promising massive tariffs across the board.
- Like much of the energy industry, Thune is not a huge fan of this idea.
- At one point this year, he called Trump's sweeping tariff proposals "a recipe for increased inflation."
- Trump can do a lot unilaterally, but Thune is a possible barrier if Republicans start eyeing tariffs as a way to pay for a reconciliation bill.
