House Republican leaders are ramping up pressure on their Senate counterparts to move quickly on a $95 billion reconciliation package, warning that inaction will become politically untenable before lawmakers leave town for the year.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has become the focal point of that pressure after signaling he intends to delay the measure until government funding negotiations are resolved, a timeline that House GOP leaders view as unacceptable.
"The Senate needs to move on reconciliation before November, and I think the pressure from the American people is going to be unbearable if they refuse to act," NRCC Chair Richard Hudson said Thursday. "For the Senate to sit on their hands and do nothing, I think, will be unsustainable."
The reconciliation package includes funding for defense priorities in Iran, agricultural assistance, and components of the SAVE America Act, which has become a signature legislative push for House conservatives.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise dismissed concerns about the difficulty of passing the legislation in the Senate, arguing that White House officials need to step up their own lobbying efforts.
"They can say all day long, you know, 'It's going to be hard.' Everything's hard," Scalise told reporters. "They've got to figure out a way to get it done."
Scalise highlighted a key procedural advantage: because reconciliation bills require only a simple majority in the Senate, Republicans cannot cite the filibuster as an obstacle to passage. That argument is designed to undercut any claim that passing the SAVE Act is impossible without Democratic support.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added to the heat, saying during a press briefing that President Trump's "patience is running out" with Thune over the stalled package.
Thune pushed back tersely when asked about those comments. "Well, maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes," he told reporters, suggesting internal disagreement over whether the necessary support actually exists in his chamber.
The South Dakota Republican has repeatedly stated he lacks the votes for immediate passage, a claim that has drawn skepticism from House conservatives. Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas accused Thune of feigning effort on the SAVE Act while actively avoiding a Senate floor vote.
The standoff reveals deep divisions within the GOP on spending priorities and the pace of legislative action as the congressional calendar winds down.
Author James Rodriguez: "House Republicans are trying to bully the Senate into moving faster, but Thune's resistance suggests there's real disagreement about whether this package can actually pass."
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