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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today delivered the following remarks on the Senate floor:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Mr. President, yesterday the Republican Conference held its first meeting with our new members for the 120th Congress.
“And we had a robust discussion about our conference’s future and how we can best serve the American people in the next two years.
“We also held our leadership elections for the coming Congress.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues for again placing their trust in me to be the Republican leader.
“And I’m looking forward to working with the other members of our leadership team and with all of our colleagues, both old and new, over the next two years.
“Mr. President, in my first speech from this desk nearly two years ago, one of the things I talked about was restoring the Senate as a place of discussion and deliberation.
“And over these last two years, I’ve striven for that ideal.
“And I’m proud of the legislative record that we have built:
“The Working Families Tax Cuts, which delivered permanent tax relief to hardworking Americans.
“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan effort to make homeownership more affordable.
“Republicans and Democrats came together to craft the first federal legislation dealing with digital assets.
“We passed the Laken Riley Act.
“The Protect College Sports Act.
“And we demonstrated what’s possible when both parties come together for a more open appropriations process.
“On nominations, we’ve faced historic obstruction from Democrats.
“And despite that, we got President Trump’s Cabinet in place at the fastest pace in over two decades.
“We’ve confirmed 605 civilian nominees.
“And put 56 Article III judges on the federal bench – and at the fastest pace since the Reagan administration.
“And we’re not done.
“Mr. President, we could not have confirmed all of these individuals or crafted and passed these bills without the hard work of our Republican conference.
“And I want to thank them for all they have done in this Congress.
“And I have no doubt that we will continue to work just as hard through the end of this year and into the 120th Congress as well.
“Mr. President, in that first speech I gave as leader last January, I talked about my leadership style, and, specifically, some of the lessons I learned from playing sports.
“In sports, you need to learn from your losses, and then move on to the next game.
“As I said, part of our meeting yesterday was a conversation about Republicans’ future.
“I expect those conversations to continue and for all Republican senators to play a role in building up our party.
“We’ll see where we need to improve, identify our strengths, and use them to best serve the American people.
“Mr. President, whether we’re in the majority or the minority, we work for the American people.
“Last week voters sent a clear message.
“And a large part of that message has to do with the cost of living.
“Mr. President, hardworking people have faced cost-of-living challenges for more than five years now – since the early days of the Biden administration.
“And while I’m proud of accomplishments like the Working Families Tax Cuts, there’s more to do.
“In the coming months and years, we’ll see legislation like the Working Families Tax Cuts and the ROAD to Housing Act continue to bear fruit.
“And affordability will continue to be at the top of our priority list here in the Senate.
“And not just next year.
“Right now.
“Mr. President, this week the Senate has advanced bipartisan permitting reform legislation.
“A more efficient permitting system would reduce costly delays, get things built faster, and provide more affordable and accessible energy across the country.
“It would also encourage investment in America, create jobs, and boost Made-in-America manufacturing.
“Mr. President, the need is real and the opportunity is ripe for us to get this done.
“We have a bipartisan agreement that has support from the president.
“We should waste no time delivering this win for the American people.
“And the sooner we finish permitting, the more time we’ll have for additional priorities.
“Mr. President, as I said, we will also be confirming more of the president’s nominees before the end of the year.
“And I expect that we will continue to face obstruction from Democrats in our efforts.
“But we’re going to put in the work to overcome that obstruction to get qualified individuals in place.
“Mr. President, over the last 22 months, we’ve been busy.
“And I hope everyone is ready to run through the tape.
“Because there’s more work to be done in the 119th Congress.
“And we are going to leave it all on the field.”