GOP senator says Thune ‘being too cautious’ in talks with Senate Democrats to avoid shutdown

Senate GOP senator says Thune ‘being too cautious’ in talks with Senate Democrats to avoid shutdown Comments: by Ryan Mancini - 07/26/26 1:47 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Ryan Mancini - 07/26/26 1:47 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) on Sunday said that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) is “being too cautious” in his talks with Senate Democratic leaders in an effort to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September.

“Look, I mean no disrespect. I love John Thune. He’s my leader. He’s got a big brain. He’s better looking than me. But I think he’s just being too cautious. He wants to spend the rest of our time talking with Senator Schumer about shutting down the government” Kennedy said on “Face the Nation” with Margaret Brennan on CBS News, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).

Kennedy claimed the “Graham Platner wing” of the Democratic Party “is not going to let Schumer agree with us,” referring to former progressive Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D).

“They already want to give Schumer a bathrobe, a popsicle, and an early bedtime and have him retire,” Kennedy continued. “I don’t think Chuck can agree with us. I think he’s going to shut down the government.”

The House on Tuesday passed a stopgap measure that would fund federal agencies at existing levels through Dec. 4. But Senate conservatives are leaning toward adding President Trump’s priority legislation, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, a GOP-led election bill requiring photo ID and proof of citizenship, to the stopgap measure even though it could lead to a shutdown.

Kennedy said he thinks the SAVE America Act can still get passed with less than 100 days before Election Day.

“We need to go back to having an election day, not an election month,” he said. “We’ve got to know the results of an election that night or shortly thereafter, if it’s close. That, to me, is what the SAVE Act is all about, and I think we can pass it.”

Thune said he’s working with Democrats to craft a bipartisan stopgap bill in a push to keep the government funded. If this bill fails to pass, he said he is open to using the party-line reconciliation measure instead.

The South Dakota Republican has also been facing pressure from lawmakers and the White House to pass the government funding bill and third reconciliation bill, as well as the SAVE America Act. He said last week that the budget resolution does not have the 50 votes needed to advance.

As for the president’s election bill, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said Trump’s “patience is running out.” Trump himself later urged the Senate to adopt the budget resolution to set up reconciliation with the SAVE America Act attached.

“I am asking that the Senate adopt a Budget Resolution, which can pass with a simple Majority, before leaving for the August recess,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “We are ready to work side-by-side with the Senate to get this done for the American People!”

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