In the Senate, Thune resurrects idea of reconciliation [View all]

Source: Roll Call

Posted March 24, 2026 at 6:38pm, Updated at 8:12pm


For Senate leaders, pursuing another budget reconciliation bill this year was once considered a no-go. But in a matter of days, it’s become a distinct possibility. Using the often arduous budgetary maneuver would represent a shift for both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, necessitated by Republican needs to reopen the Department of Homeland Security while passing some of their legislative priorities, key among them a voter ID bill.

But using reconciliation remains an uphill battle, as rank and file resist the idea of a process that would require broad consensus within the GOP. The idea became even more attractive for Senate GOP leaders Monday, after President Donald Trump tied funding DHS — which has been shut down for more than five weeks — to passage of the GOP’s security legislation.

Doing both would represent a herculean task for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who faces both a slim majority and Senate rules requiring 60 votes to pass most legislation. Plan B: passing some of the voter ID bill, nicknamed the SAVE America Act by Republicans, with a reconciliation bill, which would only require a simple majority to pass.

“I think with budget reconciliation, as I’ve said before, you have to have a reason to do it … And we [very] well may,” the South Dakota Republican said Tuesday. He said that inside the Senate Republican Conference, “there’s a lot of support for a budget reconciliation bill.”

Read more: https://rollcall.com/2026/03/24/in-the-senate-thune-resurrects-idea-of-reconciliation/