Inside the deeper divide between Trump and Thune
Plus: Schumer proposes independent anti-corruption bureau, inflation slows as spending cools and Barnes exits Wisconsin governor’s race.
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THE LINEUP
Inside the deeper divide between Trump and Thune
Schumer proposes independent anti-corruption bureau
Inflation slows as spending cools
Barnes exits Wisconsin governor’s race
THE LEAD
👋🏾 HI, HEY, HELLO! Welcome back to Congress Nerd Daily. I hope today was everything for you.
War in Iran: The Senate narrowly rejected Senate Democrats’ latest effort to curb Donald Trump’s military operations in Iran, with three Republicans joining Democrats in a failed bipartisan bid to reassert Congress’ war powers.
The chamber voted 49-50 against advancing Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.)’s resolution, with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) once again breaking with most Republicans to support the measure while Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) remained the lone Democrat to oppose it.
The vote came hours after Trump ordered renewed “heavy” strikes on Iran, prompting Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to accuse Republicans of continuing to “rubberstamp” the administration’s war and pledge to keep forcing votes aimed at ending U.S. involvement.
The Blanche blockade: Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general remained in limbo as Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and the White House dug in over demands from the retiring lawmakers to rewrite portions of a controversial IRS lawsuit settlement before allowing the nominee to advance.
Cornyn said the Justice Department has refused to put in writing Blanche’s Judiciary Committee testimony that a $1.8 billion so-called anti-weaponization fund is permanently dead and that audit protections won’t shield President Trump, his family or businesses from future IRS scrutiny, while Trump threatened to withdraw the nomination until after Cornyn and Tillis leave office rather than make the requested changes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), however, insisted he still sees “a path forward” if the administration resolves the senators’ concerns.
”I try and stay in my lane”: President Trump and Leader Thune increasingly appear to be talking past one another.
Trump measures success almost exclusively by results: Did Republicans pass another reconciliation bill? Did they send the SAVE America Act to his desk? If Senate rules, traditions or internal processes stand in the way, they’re obstacles to overcome.
Thune, by contrast, has spent much of his first term as majority leader sending a different message that the Senate’s institutional guardrails still matter, even when they frustrate the party in power.
It’s a distinction that has come into sharper focus as Trump has intensified his public pressure campaign against the South Dakota Republican. After Trump was asked Wednesday whether Thune remained the right person to lead Senate Republicans, the president replied, “We’ll find out. I’ll let you know.”
When reporters asked Thune about the remark, he brushed it aside.
“Well, that’s nice of him, I guess,” Thune said. “That’s a decision made by my colleagues.”
The exchange underscored an important difference in how the two men view power…
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THE POWERS THAT BE
Schumer proposes independent anti-corruption bureau: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) unveiled legislation to create the nation’s first independent Anti-Corruption Bureau…
THE POLICY DESK
Inflation slows as spending cools: The Commerce Department reported that its personal consumption expenditures price index—the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge—rose 3.7% from a year earlier, down from 4.1% in May, while core inflation eased to 3.3% and consumer spending increased a modest 0.3%, suggesting price pressures continued to ease even as household spending lost some momentum…
THE TRAIL
Barnes exits Wisconsin governor’s race: Former Lt. Gov. and 2022 Democratic Senate nominee Mandela Barnes suspended his campaign for governor, saying “it’s become very clear who our nominee is going to be”…