Morning Wire – Special Edition: “Holding The Line: John Thune On The Shutdown, Trump, & 2026”

Date: January 1, 2026
Host: Daily Wire D.C. Bureau Chief Tim Rice
Guest: Senate Majority Leader John Thune

Episode Overview

This special edition of Morning Wire features an in-depth interview between Daily Wire D.C. Bureau Chief Tim Rice and Senate Majority Leader John Thune. The discussion centers on the high-stakes year in Congress, focusing on the 2025 government shutdown, the passage of the sweeping “one big beautiful bill,” President Trump’s third year in office, and what lies ahead for the Senate and the country in 2026. Key topics include legislative achievements, the confirmation process for presidential nominees, healthcare debates, the rise in political and antisemitic violence, and the Senate’s role in national security.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Historical Workload and Legislative Productivity

• [02:41] Tim Rice opens by highlighting the Senate’s extensive workload in 2025, in session for a historic number of weeks.
• John Thune [02:44]:
  “It was a historic number of weeks in session, days in session, hours in session, and record number of votes cast. In fact, we went back eight decades, back to the 1940s, and there’s only been one other time—in 1976—where a Senate cast more votes than we did this year… In many ways, sort of exhausting, but I would also say productive.”

2. Impact and Perception of the “One Big Beautiful Bill”

• [03:21] Tim Rice questions whether passing so much in one legislative package has affected public perception.
• John Thune [03:47]:
  “We loaded that thing up with so much of our agenda…national security, the border, energy, tax policy, school choice, newborn accounts, childcare, the farm bill… biggest spending reduction literally in history… If you’re a fiscal conservative like I am, we’re really proud…”
  Thune notes that bundling achievements into one bill can make it seem like the Senate isn’t producing results week to week, even as major priorities are being advanced.

3. Top Accomplishments in the Bill

• [05:40] Tim Rice asks Thune for the three most important components of the “big beautiful bill” that are underappreciated.
• John Thune [05:41-07:38]:
  • National Security:
    “We really made up for the Biden years… money to build the wall at the border, close the border… personnel for border patrol agents, detention facilities… making the country safer.”
  • Economic Prosperity & Tax Policy:
    “Not only extending the policies from 2017… lower rates for families… near doubling of the standard deduction… no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, reduced taxes for seniors… bonus depreciation, interest deductibility, R&D expensing… going to lead to growth in the economy and better paying jobs.”
  • Conservative Social Policies:
    “School choice policies… newborn accounts… all incentives in this bill that I think are just going to [lead to] a better quality of life for a lot of the American people.”

4. Healthcare Policy and Differing Party Priorities

• [07:38] Tim Rice shifts to the healthcare debate, noting its resurgence.
• John Thune [08:10]:
  • Points to work requirements in Medicaid and efforts to root out waste and abuse as wins.
  • Critiques the Democrats’ preference for extending Obamacare, calling out “enhanced Biden subsidies” and auto-enrollment loopholes.
  • Advocates for expanding Health Savings Accounts and greater individual choice:
    “What we do believe makes sense is a model that creates for expansion of health savings accounts and putting the money back in the pockets of people… incentivizing them to buy the insurance that makes sense for them rather than buying the insurance the government tells them they have to buy.”

5. Confirming Presidential Nominees Amid Partisan Obstruction

• [10:08] Tim Rice notes the massive scale of nominations processed in Trump’s first year of his new term.
• John Thune [10:31]:
  “President Trump is the first president in history who didn’t have one of his nominees… confirmed either by voice vote or unanimous consent. The Democrats were so dug in fighting President Trump that even the most noncontroversial positions… they forced us to do the long way. We made some tweaks… now we can move them in stacks. That’ll put us over 400 for the year…”
  • This procedural workaround improved efficiency, surpassing confirmation totals of prior administrations.

6. Rising Political and Antisemitic Violence; Foreign Threats

• [11:53] Tim Rice raises the concern of political and antisemitic violence, and renewed threats of radical Islamic terrorism.
• John Thune [12:33]:
  • Emphasizes the core duty of government is public safety:
    “I want people to be able to live. And I think the question, basic question most Americans ask is, am I safe? Is my family safe?... The best thing we can do is try to put in place the things that our law enforcement needs, that our military needs to deter bad behavior… make sure that people are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
  • Praises President Trump’s “clear-eyed focus on making our community safer… projecting a policy of peace through strength around the world.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [02:44] John Thune:
  “It was historic… in many ways, sort of exhausting, but I would also say productive.”

• [03:47] John Thune:
  “We loaded that thing up with so much of our agenda… the biggest spending reduction literally in history and something that, if you’re a fiscal conservative like I am, we’re really proud to be able to point to.”

• [05:41] John Thune:
  “If you don’t get national security right, the rest is conversation.”

• [08:40] John Thune:
  “There are no income caps. So now you’ve got people making five or six hundred thousand dollars a year who are getting subsidies from the federal taxpayers on health insurance. So that model, that business model is not what we are for.”

• [12:33] John Thune:
  “The best thing we can do is try to put in place the things that our law enforcement needs, that our military needs to deter bad behavior…”

Timeline of Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|-------------------------------------------------------| | 02:25 | Start of interview: Senate’s historic 2025 workload | | 03:21 | Discussion of legislative strategy and PR challenges | | 05:20 | Top three achievements in “one big beautiful bill” | | 07:38 | The Senate’s approach to healthcare reform | | 10:08 | The nominations challenge and process improvements | | 11:53 | Addressing political, antisemitic, and terror threats | | 14:20 | Closing remarks and look ahead to 2026 |

Recap & Tone

This episode provides a behind-the-scenes look at Congressional operations during a pivotal year, spotlighting both legislative and procedural victories from the Republican perspective. Thune, in clear and measured language, is both optimistic and pragmatic, repeatedly emphasizing safety, security, productivity, and conservative economic and social priorities. The tone is factual, occasionally self-congratulatory, and defensive of Senate Republican strategy in the face of public skepticism.

For listeners seeking detailed insight into the mechanics of an eventful legislative year, the episode offers direct, unvarnished commentary from the Senate Majority Leader himself.