Thune riding wave of victories after 'Big Beautiful Bill' passage
Senate Majority Leader navigates narrow GOP margins to deliver key legislative wins during his first six months
As President Trump held a bill signing ceremony July 4 for his One Big Beautiful Bill, Sen. John Thune missed the pomp and circumstance. The Senate’s Republican leader was back home spending the Independence Day holiday with family on the Missouri River, where he celebrated the bill’s passage with a backflip into the river.
More than once during the ceremony, Trump praised Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson for shepherding his landmark legislation through narrow Republican majorities.
Just a few days before the signing, Thune had been up for 36 hours, negotiating with reluctant members throughout the night, trying to get holdouts on board while keeping the support of others who threatened to jump ship. After hours of debate and amendments, the Senate passed its version of the bill on July 1.
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