A FRESH START (SORT OF) Incoming Senate GOP Leader John Thune’s relationship with Donald Trump has garnered plenty of post-election focus in Washington. But there’s another senior lawmaker that will be critical to Thune’s term as leader: Chuck Schumer. After nearly a decade of Schumer and outgoing GOP Leader Mitch McConnell atop the upper chamber, the Schumer-Thune show now takes centerstage. And their ability to collaborate on government funding, defense spending, the debt limit and more next year — all while navigating Trump’s influence on the Hill — will be critical. “Sen. Thune and I have always had a good bipartisan relationship through the years,” Schumer said in an interview last week. “And I hope that will continue. I certainly want to sit down and talk with him. And as I've said before, whenever we can work in a bipartisan way to get things done, we will.” But, Schumer added, “We're going to keep our principles, and we'll have to go from there.” There are high stakes for Thune. The incoming president is sure to continually exert pressure on Senate Republicans throughout his second term. And while nominees only require a simple majority to pass, the bulk of legislation in the Senate is still subject to a 60-vote threshold. Republicans will only hold 53 seats. That means Thune, on occasion, will need the help of Schumer and Democrats. But years of baggage and an increasingly contentious Congress won’t make building bridges easy. Nor will Senate Democrats’ hopes of taking the chamber back in 2026, which may dissuade them from handing Republicans easy wins. “A lot of us have great relationships with John,” said retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), who currently serves in the No. 3 position among Senate Democratic leadership. But, she added, those ties will be “tested” in a second Trump term. “[Thune] will certainly be feeling the push-pull,” Stabenow said. “Donald Trump doesn't care about people being able to work across across the aisle to work together. He wants loyalty.” There are a couple of advantages for Schumer: He’s been doing this job far longer than Thune, or even the leaders in the House, both of whom are in their first terms leading their parties. Schumer also has a long track record of bipartisan dealmaking, giving him knowledge on how these high-stakes negotiations typically shake out. Still, Thune has the numbers — and control of the chamber. Thune and Schumer were seen chit-chatting on the floor last week, and Schumer did congratulate Thune earlier this month on his election to GOP leader. We are told a different new duo in leadership is a bit more chummy. By both men’s accounts, incoming GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) have a pre-existing relationship, a possible leadership bridge in a new Senate era. “John Barrasso is one of my closest Republican friends,” Durbin said. “For no apparent reason, I go to the Senate gym every morning, at least I did before I got my knee replaced. And so I see John. He's the first one there, 5:30 in the morning. So we've gotten to be friends. We talk a lot about books that we both enjoyed and other personal things.” “I know Sen. Durbin very well,” Barrasso said in an interview. “He went to Georgetown for college and law school. I went to Georgetown for college and medical school. We have a nice relationship.” As for the top of the leadership, however, the whips’ sentiments diverge. Durbin said that even though he once campaigned for Tom Daschle, the Senate Democrat Thune ousted in 2004, Thune “is a friend, and we joke about it all the time.” Barrasso, in contrast, said “Chuck Schumer has been a terrible leader of the United States Senate.” — Ursula Perano, with an assist from Mia McCarthy GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Tuesday, Nov. 26. Are there any good Hill-related Thanksgiving puns we should be bringing to our tables this week? Our editor Tyler Weyant gave us “re-corn-ciliation,” but we frankly know our readers can do better. PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off for Thanksgiving this Thursday and Friday but back to our normal schedule on Monday, Dec. 2.
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