Thune’s New Plan: A Busier Senate

Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is planning some big changes. One of the first things he wants to do is make the Senate work more days. Instead of the usual four days a week, Thune is thinking about five-day workweeks. This is to help get more done, especially in the first 100 days of President-elect Donald Trump’s term. Thune wants to confirm Trump’s nominees and pass his agenda quickly. This could mean no breaks for senators during those first few months. Thune also wants to give senators more say in the decision-making process. He plans to make the amendment process more open and let senators vote on each of the 12 budget bills one by one. This might make things take longer, but Thune thinks it’s important. He wants senators to have a serious discussion about how taxpayer money should be spent. It won’t be easy, as similar efforts in the past have failed. But Thune is determined to try.