Scorched Earth! John Rose is Fed Up with Thune
Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., unleashed a sharp rebuke of Senate Republicans during an appearance on The Todd Starnes Show, accusing Majority Leader John Thune of blocking key elements of President Donald Trump’s agenda and fueling growing frustration among conservatives.
The congressman pointed to dismal approval ratings for Congress—just 10 percent approval, according to Gallup—as evidence that voters are fed up with what he described as inaction in Washington.
“I think it’s a reflection of the frustration the American people feel with the inability to get things across the finish line in Washington,” Rose said. Starnes noted that even IRS agents are more popular that lawmakers. Watch the full interview below and be sure to subscribe to Todd’s YouTube channel:
Rose acknowledged that the legislative process was intentionally designed to be difficult but argued that the current gridlock goes beyond constitutional design. He contrasted what he called a productive House and an aggressive White House with a Senate that is failing to deliver results.
“We see that with what’s happening, even though the House has been incredibly productive, even though President Trump has been miraculously productive over the last year and outpacing what most presidents do in an entire term in just one year,” Rose said.
According to the Tennessee Republican, Americans are not asking for more promises—they are demanding results. He said voters have already seen what Trump’s policies can accomplish and are now expecting Congress to follow through.
“They’ve got a taste for the progress that President Trump has delivered over the last year of getting the border under control… increasing take-home pay, lowering taxes… but they want more and we need to deliver in Congress,” he said.
Rose did not mince words when asked about who is responsible for the legislative slowdown, placing the blame squarely on Senate leadership and calling for Republicans to speak out more forcefully.
“I think it is. I think it’s past time,” Rose said when asked if Senate Republicans should call out Thune directly. “Republicans in the House under the leadership of Mike Johnson have been delivering… we’ve passed over 400 bills implementing much of the President’s agenda but too many of those bills are stalled on the Senate side.”
Among the stalled priorities, Rose highlighted funding for the Department of Homeland Security and the Save America Act, a measure he says is critical to securing U.S. elections.
“It’s time that the senators quit paying lip service to important agenda items like passing the Save America Act… they’ve got to produce and they’ve got to make their leader produce and we’ve got to quit taking excuses,” he said.
The congressman also raised the stakes, suggesting that failure to act could lead to a reckoning within the GOP. When pressed on whether Senate leadership should change if progress continues to stall, Rose made his position clear.
“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, yes,” he said. “I think that Leader Thune has to get the Save America Act across the finish line. If he can’t do that, then Republicans in the Senate need to be called to account… and they need to put pressure on Leader Thune to either do his job or step aside.”
Rose’s comments underscore a growing divide within Republican ranks as House conservatives push for faster movement on Trump-backed legislation, setting up a potential showdown over leadership and priorities in the months ahead.
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