Tensions between John Thune and Mike Johnson loom over GOP immigration push
Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are experiencing heightened tensions amid disagreements over immigration policy, DHS funding, and legislative strategy, despite previously effective collaboration. The rift has been fueled by public criticisms, procedural disputes, and differing approaches to advancing GOP priorities like the SAVE America Act and FISA reauthorization. Both leaders face pressure to reconcile their differences to pass key legislation before the midterms and maintain party unity.
- ▪Thune and Johnson have clashed over the handling of DHS funding and the reauthorization of Section 702 of the FISA law, leading to a 76-day partial shutdown of the department.
- ▪The House passed the Senate’s version of the DHS funding bill after calling it a “crap sandwich,” highlighting internal GOP frustration with the legislative process.
- ▪Thune criticized Johnson’s inclusion of a central bank digital currency provision in the FISA bill, calling it a “poison bill” that would not pass the Senate.
- ▪Some MAGA supporters have blamed Thune for national security concerns following a recent incident at the White House Correspondents’ dinner.
- ▪Republican aides warn that intraparty conflicts are playing into Democratic hands ahead of the November elections.
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Weeks of bruising cross-chamber policy fights have blemished what has otherwise been a cordial and remarkably effective relationship between Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA). Tensions are at an all-time high this Congress between the GOP leaders after capping off a record-shattering 76-day shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security and narrowly avoiding the expiration of the nation’s foreign spy powers. Disputes over the contentious issues exacerbated underlying tensions already boiling over on the party’s SAVE America Act voter ID bill.
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