Press Releases
Thune Joins America’s Newsroom on Fox News
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News. On Democrats prioritizing their far-left base: “The Democrats just have to take yes for an answer. We’ve given them everything, essentially, that they were asking for … Yesterday, at their Democratic caucus meeting in the Senate, [they] had a pep rally … they are celebrating this. It’s insane. “And what’s happening is the far left, which is the tail waggin… Continue Reading
11.04.25
Thune: Will Democrats Finally Take Yes for an Answer?
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “We are now in the 35th day of the shutdown. “The longest shutdown on record and the most severe shutdown on record - something that was totally unnecessary in the first place, obviously. “But we’re hoping this will be the week when the Democrats come to their senses and decide to reopen the gov… Continue Reading
11.03.25
Thune Joins Guy Benson on Fox News Radio
Click here to listen to the interview. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Guy Benson on Fox News Radio. On Democrats’ shutdown hypocrisy: “[Democrats] are blaming Trump at the same time they’re taking credit, and almost in the same breath … Republicans want our troops paid. We want the men and women of the Border Patrol to get paid. We want TSA agents, every federal employee to get their paychecks. “And right now, the Democrats are the ones standing in … Continue Reading
10.30.25
Thune Joins Squawk Box on CNBC
Click here to watch. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Becky Quick and Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s Squawk Box. On Congress’ responsibility to fund the government: “I’ve lived through several government shutdowns in my time here. Nobody wins. And if there’s anything about it, it’s just the stupidity of it. This is something we ought to be able to work out. It’s simply funding the government so that we can fund the rest of the government through the norm… Continue Reading
10.28.25
Thune Joins Martha MacCallum on Fox News
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News. On Democrats’ shutdown hypocrisy: “I talked to [President Trump] last night, and he’s willing to sit down next week with the Democrats in his office to talk about a path forward on dealing with the unaffordability and unsustainability of Obamacare, but not while they hold the government hostage. So, they vote to open up the government, the president sits down … Continue Reading
10.28.25
Thune: Democrats Admit They’re Allowing Families to Suffer for Political Leverage
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Good afternoon, everyone. “It’s not very often that I get a chance to say this, but I agree with the AFGE - American Federation of Government Employees, largest government employees union - who said earlier this week that the Democrats need to reopen the government and start getting federal empl… Continue Reading
10.28.25
Thune Joins Sean Hannity on Fox News
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) joined Sean Hannity on Fox News. On Democrats prioritizing their far-left base: “This is a big political game [to the Democrats]. This is to make a bunch of people on their far left - the people who were probably at the rally last weekend for Mamdani in New York - that’s the kind of constituency that the Democrats are appealing to right now.” […] “At some point, Schumer is probably going to have to d… Continue Reading
10.23.25
Thune Joins The Ben Shapiro Show
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined The Ben Shapiro Show. On Democrats’ shutdown hypocrisy: “[T]his is a real losing hand for [Democrats] to play. It’s certainly costing people all over the country, big time, particularly federal employees. And the longer this thing drags on, the worse it gets … “[Democrats] don’t seem prepared to want to come to their senses and actually do the right thing for the American people, which is… Continue Reading
10.23.25
Thune Joins America’s Newsroom on Fox News
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined America’s Newsroom on Fox News. On Democrats prioritizing their far-left base: “The Democrats continue to play political games. They are afraid, just absolutely desperately afraid, of their base and that’s why we’re in the situation we’re in. So it’s going to take five Democrats, probably not going to come out of their leadership … they’re a lost cause. I think it’s going to have to be ran… Continue Reading
10.21.25
Thune Joins The Hugh Hewitt Show
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined The Hugh Hewitt Show. On Democrats prioritizing their far-left base: “Republicans want our troops to get paid. We want the men and women of the Border Patrol getting paid. We want TSA agents, ATC, air traffic control, every federal employee to get their paychecks … “They want - the Democrats, that is - far-left progressive activists to be less mad at them. I mean, that’s really what we’re… Continue Reading
10.21.25
Thune to Senate Democrats: Time to Stop the Political Theater and Reopen the Government
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference at the White House with Senate Republican leadership: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “We just had a great opportunity to meet with the president and talk about something that unifies all Republicans. “Senate Republicans, House Republicans, and the president of the United States are all in favor of reopening the federal government - in fact, so much so that we’v… Continue Reading
10.20.25
Thune Joins Larry Kudlow on Fox Business
Click here to watch. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Larry Kudlow on Fox Business. On Democrats’ shutdown hypocrisy: “[Democrats] had their big … protest this weekend, got all their left-wing groups satisfied all over the country, and it seems like at least now they ought to come back to their senses and realize that shutting down the government’s not good for anybody, and I think they’re starting to feel the heat on that. “It’s just not a defensible… Continue Reading
10.17.25
Thune Joins The Briefing with Steve Scully
Click here to listen to The Briefing with Steve Scully WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined The Briefing with Steve Scully on SiriusXM radio. On Democrats’ historic obstruction: “[T]he politics around it is … largely different.” [T]he Democrats are under an enormous amount of pressure from their hard left, and they’ve got this big rally in town this weekend, and, you know, they’re just demanding that they fight, no matter what the issue is, the president,… Continue Reading
10.16.25
Thune Joins Ali Vitali on MSNBC
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) joined Ali Vitali on MSNBC’s Way Too Early. On Democrats’ health care crisis: “I don’t think you can do … a straight-up extension of the ACA tax credits, premium tax credits, they are enhanced subsidies, so they are over and above the base Obamacare program, which was available to people up to 400 percent of poverty. “What the Democrats did a couple years ago was they took the income cap off, so now … Continue Reading
10.15.25
Thune Joins The Brian Kilmeade Show
Click here to listen to The Brian Kilmeade Show. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined The Brian Kilmeade Show on Fox Radio. On Democrats’ shutdown hypocrisy: “[Democrats have] got to vote to open up the government … this hostage-taking has to stop … They’re asking for … $1.5 trillion in new spending … [and] all kinds of … provisions in there that would allow illegals to have free health care. Those are all just non-starters, and that’s where their leadersh… Continue Reading
10.15.25
Thune: Schumer Celebrates the Government Shutdown While Families Suffer
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership: Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Well, good afternoon. “I think the American people are wondering when the Senate Democrats are going to end their temper tantrum and vote to reopen the government. “Every day that goes by, there are more and more Americans who are getting smaller and smaller paychecks, people who work for the f… Continue Reading
10.14.25
Thune Joins Harris Faulkner on Fox News
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Harris Faulkner on Fox News. On the Gaza peace deal: “It’s historic … it is really an epic development, Harris. You think about thousands of years of history and the warring that’s been going on in that region and more recently … the terrible attacks from a couple of years ago … “What the president has been able to achieve here is nothing short of remarkable, and he builds on the success … Continue Reading
10.10.25
Thune Joins Martha MacCallum on Fox News
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News. On Congress’ responsibility to fund the government: “Democrats have to decide whether they want to deliver the five votes that we need to open up the government. We have … 55 out of 100 senators. The House has passed it, it’s sitting on the desk at the Senate … “[Democrats] have to think long and hard about what they’re doing, and unfortunately, the conseque… Continue Reading
10.10.25
Thune: Schumer Shutdown Day 10
Click here to watch the video. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today spoke at a press conference with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.). Thune’s remarks below (as delivered): “Well, good morning. “Leader Chuck Schumer may think that every day that goes by, the shutdown gets better for the political prospects of the Democrats. “But every day that it goes by, it gets a lot worse for the American people. “Now, Democrat senators might start to feel that a l… Continue Reading
10.09.25
Thune Joins Amna Nawaz on PBS NewsHour
Click here to watch. WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Amna Nawaz on PBS’s NewsHour. On Congress’ responsibility to fund the government: “All we need is … five Democrats to vote with us … it’s passed in the House, president will sign it … We’ve got 55 senators currently - a majority of the United States Senate - who have voted multiple times now to open up the government.” […] “You can’t take the ... federal government hostage. This is something that … Continue Reading
