John Thune

There’s something coming out of the White House on a daily basis that keeps life interesting.

We’re doing things I never thought we’d have to do, but you’ve got to be creative.

Sometimes they’re mad at the president, sometimes they’re mad at the Congress, and I obviously generate a lot of ire in my direction these days.

I’ve indicated to him in most cases — not all — that what he wants done, we just don’t have the votes for, and there’s nothing I can do to change that.

For the most part our members buy into the idea that we are a team. If we’re going to succeed, we’ve got to succeed together, and that means sometimes holding hands and just doing hard things.

Some of the things that have happened the last few weeks have completely thrown a wrench into our ability to execute.

It’s all going to be what can we get to 60 [votes] on over here.

Even though gas prices might be high today, we know they’re going to come down.

If the goal is to keep them from having a nuclear weapon, then we ought to make sure they don’t.

It is a program that makes Americans more safe.

It would have, as always, the timing would have been better. It would have been nice if we could had this a couple of days earlier, but like I said, you play the hand you’re dealt and we’ll try and figure out the best way to process this…

I think he’s a really good pick. He’s obviously very capable and competent and [has] a great record. So, my assumption is, and I would certainly hope that Democrats who are being objective about it are going to come to the same conclusion.

I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it.

We need Democrat votes. And, as I've said before, I think irrespective of what you think about Bill Pulte, providing the reforms that are included in the 702 reauthorization is a safeguard, regardless of who's in that job, or which party…

As long as Republicans are in charge, there will be agents at our borders to prevent terrorists, traffickers, and other dangerous individuals from making their way into our country, and there will be agents to take criminal illegal…

The parliamentarian rulings break both ways, and you know, we lose a few, we win a few.

The Democrats blocking us getting on the bill and then eventually passing it, I think, is a really dangerous position to take for the country.

The Senate will take another run at it.

The naming of Pulte to that position, although the timing arguably wasn't the best, I still don't think it ought to derail something that's this important.

Why are we doing this bill? We are here today only because Democrats refuse to appropriate a single dollar for our border and immigration law enforcement.

The fund doesn’t exist. This is about border funding. It’s about law enforcement.

This is a dangerous play on [Democrats’] part to try and block or stop this.

I feel good going into it.

We need some help from Democrats, obviously, and I think it's a terrible irresponsible position that they've taken.

It’s still a work in progress.