Thune casts doubt on Senate passage of House budget plan

Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday indicated that he lacked sufficient votes to approve a House-passed reconciliation plan to provide funding for the Iran war and a series of electoral reforms.

The House previously approved a budget resolution that included funding for the war and key provisions of the SAVE America Act, a marquis voter ID bill that has languished in the upper chamber due to the 60-vote filibuster threshold.

“As I’ve said before you got to get to 50, and I can’t count to 50 right now on a budget resolution,” he said, according to The Hill. "We’ll have those conversations with the conference. The priority is funding the government. To me that’s the thing we got to keep our eyes on."

Thune has faced considerable pressure from President Donald Trump to pass the SAVE America Act, including by reforming Senate rules to bypass or eliminate the filibuster.

The Senate leader has declined to do so, however, much to the consternation of the White House.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.