Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned of a legislative “train wreck” as Republican senators clashed Wednesday over a budget resolution, hemp-derived THC products, and college athlete compensation rules, threatening to delay their August recess escape.
Internal squabbles erupted at a GOP lunch meeting as senators battled each other and the White House over competing legislative priorities. Thune told reporters the situation was “kind of a train wreck” as the Senate faced a pileup of unfinished business, including government funding, key nominations, and bills Trump views as priorities.
The most contentious fight centered on Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson’s push for a vote on a budget resolution before the August recess. Johnson argued the measure was necessary to advance a third reconciliation bill, which would allow Republicans to bypass a Democratic filibuster and pass legislation with a simple majority.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, among the most vulnerable GOP senators facing re-election this year, objected strenuously. She warned colleagues that a floor debate and “vote-a-rama” on amendments to a budget resolution would be politically unwise, according to sources familiar with the meeting. The reconciliation process opens the door to unlimited amendments from Democrats, forcing Republicans to take votes on potentially embarrassing proposals.
Johnson warned that as many as 10 or 11 Senate committees could receive reconciliation instructions, making a wide array of amendments germane and adoptable at a simple majority threshold. Republicans worried they might face votes on proposals to restrict Immigration and Customs Enforcement or to permanently ban the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund created to compensate Trump allies prosecuted under the Biden administration.
Thune confirmed after the meeting that advancing a budget resolution would drag “a bunch” of other committees into the process, opening the floor to votes on controversial issues. When asked if he would have the votes to proceed, Thune replied, “Probably hard to say.”
White House and Hemp Dispute Escalates
GOP senators also battled with White House legislative staff over language added to the continuing resolution that would delay implementation of a ban on hemp-derived THC products such as delta-8 until December. Republicans described the discussion as heated after the White House blindsided GOP lawmakers with the addition.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky argued the ban unfairly targets Kentucky’s hemp industry and accused colleagues of exaggeration. “These busy bodies in there that want to ban everything are jumping up and down. It’s like they watched Reefer Madness in 1937 and they believe the whole world’s gonna be hooked on marijuana,” Paul told reporters.
But other GOP senators remained adamant. Sen. Ted Budd of North Carolina pressed GOP leaders to allow a vote to strip the provision entirely, posting on social media that he would not “back down” until the “life-threatening hemp loophole is closed permanently.” Sens. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, Jerry Moran of Kansas, and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana indicated support for Budd’s amendment, with Rounds saying he preferred to settle the fight before the recess rather than revisit it during the December holidays.
The Senate also faced a Republican-versus-Republican dispute over the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill drafted by Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas to create new regulations for compensating college athletes for their name, image and likeness. Thune filed a cloture motion to advance the bill, but Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri objected, warning the legislation could overturn state bans on transgender athletes participating in women’s sports.
Hawley said Missouri and 27 other states have enacted laws banning biological men from competing in women’s sports. “We cannot overturn 27 state laws that ban biological men in women’s sports. That’s just unthinkable,” he declared. Cruz disputed the criticism, saying the bill explicitly preserves Title IX and allows states to enforce eligibility rules.
Beyond the internal GOP disputes, Thune must also navigate Todd Blanche’s stalled attorney general nomination. Blanche met Wednesday with GOP Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—potential holdouts whose support he needs. With Sen. Susan Collins expected to oppose him and every Democrat voting against him, Blanche will need at least one Republican vote to advance.
Thune is also working to extend government funding into mid-December, pass a sanctions bill targeting Russia in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and confirm dozens of other Trump nominees before the August recess. When asked if senators would actually leave town on schedule, Thune cautioned: “You’re not going to be smelling those jet fumes anytime real soon. We’ve obviously got, like I said, a stack of stuff to do.”
Sources
- The Hill — GOP senators clash over budget resolution, hemp language, and college sports bill; Thune’s “train wreck” warning
- Politico — Senate pileup threatens recess escape; Thune describes legislative situation as “train wreck”; details on SAVE America Act, Blanche nomination, and bills pending
