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Thune’s Pocket Rocket

Republicans are lurching toward an explosive showdown with Democrats, the public, and each other over the president’s so-called pocket rescissions. How the Senate majority leader handles the blowback, and a looming government shutdown, could impact the midterms and the future of Congress itself.

John Thune
Thune is in a tricky spot. Obviously he’s not looking for a war with Trump, who is still popular with the base. But if Congress doesn’t block the current pocket rescission, the Trump administration could argue in court that their acquiescence was tantamount to acceptance. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
September 3, 2025

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It’s looking to be a September from hell for John Thune, who has, until now, managed to maintain his preternaturally jovial demeanor despite repeated tests in his eight long months as Senate majority leader. Perhaps that’s because, in nearly every instance in which President Trump has forced him to either defend the institution’s constitutional role or acquiesce to the expansion of executive power, he’s mostly chosen the latter.