A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
President Trump is set to have lunch on Capitol Hill today with Senate Republicans. The get-together comes amid rising tensions between Trump and his congressional colleagues. Now, that lunch could be awkward because moments ago the president refused to sign a bipartisan housing legislation, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, as members of the House and Senate gathered for the bill signing. The president says he will not sign it into law unless Congress passes his election legislation, the SAVE America Act. He made that announcement after four Senate Republicans voted last night with Democrats to advance a resolution directing Trump to pull troops out of the conflict with Iran. Trump has also repeatedly blown up their strategy for getting legislation passed even while venting his frustration online with Majority Leader John Thune about not getting what he wants done.
MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:
NPR congressional reporter Sam Gringlas has been keeping a close eye on this relationship, and he's with us now. Good morning, Sam.
SAM GRINGLAS, BYLINE: Good morning, Michel.
MARTIN: So how is this disconnect playing out on the Hill?
GRINGLAS: So just to give you one example of this, Majority Leader Thune thought he had a plan last week to get this key spy tool reauthorized. Democrats were threatening to block it over Trump's pick for acting director of national intelligence. And if Thune could quickly confirm a more acceptable permanent pick, the crisis could be averted. Then just before that confirmation hearing, Trump blew up the plan in a 4 a.m. social media post. Senate Republicans were stunned. The blowback was swift. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski described it to me like sled dogs startled by a moose.
LISA MURKOWSKI: When you got half the team going over here and half the team going over here, it is chaos. And then what that musher has to do is he's got to stop and spend all of his time untangling this mess.
GRINGLAS: And as the musher of the Senate, Thune has had to untangle lots of these messes lately.
MARTIN: So why can't they get on the same page when it comes to strategy?
GRINGLAS: So this conflict stems in large part from Trump's push for a strict voter ID law - the SAVE America Act. He says Republicans will never win another election without it. The reality is that there are just not the votes to pass it in the Senate. Trump has called on Thune to skirt the 60-vote threshold there by eliminating the filibuster. Last week, in a post that actually mentioned Thune, he called anyone against that idea a fool. The White House said in a statement that Trump enjoys working with Thune. But, Michel, it's Thune that often has to give Trump a reality check.
MARTIN: So what does all this say - what do these episodes say about Thune and his relationship with Trump?
GRINGLAS: Republican Senator John Kennedy told me Thune is like a golden retriever. No one dislikes him. Translation there - Trump's conflict with Thune is really just not personal. And most of the Republican caucus is still behind their leader. And for Thune, the filibuster is about preserving the consensus-driven nature of the Senate. That's what former Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia told me. He's a friend of Thune's.
SAXBY CHAMBLISS: He feels very strongly that the institution matters, and we get the best legislation when you have input by Republican and Democrat.
MARTIN: So, Sam, are there tangible implications as a result of this friction between the two men?
GRINGLAS: Some Republicans worry Trump is undercutting their shared agenda and focusing more on 2020 than 2026, pushing old claims about stolen elections and targeting incumbents he sees as disloyal. Some of those departing members now feel more uninhibited, like Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy, who provided a crucial vote to advance that War Powers Act. I did ask Thune whether he worries Trump's actions will hurt Republicans this fall, and he said focusing on pocketbook issues will be the path to keeping the majority. I pressed him, though, if it is hard to stay focused on those things right now, and Thune told me he is trying his best.
MARTIN: That is NPR's Sam Gringlas. Sam, thank you.
GRINGLAS: You're welcome. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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