'I Wasn't Apologizing': Thune Defends His Record After Being Reelected GOP Leader

"I wasn't apologizing for anything we did."

That is what Sen. John Thune told Senate Republicans behind closed doors Tuesday, hours after his colleagues returned him to the leadership by acclamation.

With another term as Republican leader secured, Thune's first instinct was to defend his record. He suggested Republicans had few options that could have spared them their midterm losses, then pointed to the tax cuts, which he called the most consequential legislation he has worked on.

Republicans have reason to defend that achievement. Thune also blamed shutdowns for slowing Congress and said the party raised plenty of money, even as it struggled to find a winning message.

READ MORE: THUNE IN TROUBLE – 6 GOP SENATORS MOVE TO BLOCK HIM

Where The Defense Falls Short

That is where Thune's defense falls apart, because the Senate majority leader helps decide what candidates have to run on. He decides which bills get floor time and which fights put senators on the record before they face their constituents.

A recorded vote shows voters where a senator stands on a question that campaign ads can spend millions dancing around.

Conservative commentator Larry O'Connor asked last week whether voters had seen Thune making that case on the campaign trail. He also asked whether Thune had secured the border, a question that goes straight to what conservative voters wanted delivered.

The House passed bills that stalled in the Senate, a problem President Donald Trump has pointed out himself. Every time the Senate let a House bill sit, Republicans lost a chance to put their priorities before the public and show exactly where Democrats stood.

Fundraising can put a message in front of voters, but Senate Republicans had to give those ads something to say.

Thune's explanation for the shutdowns deserves the same scrutiny, especially the fight over Homeland Security funding around Presidents' Day weekend. His conference controlled the Senate schedule, and a shutdown eats up time, which makes every decision about what to prioritize before and after it even more important.

READ MORE: Ron Johnson Leads GOP Push to Delay Senate Leadership Vote in Blow to Thune

The Clock Is Running

The clock is now running on judicial nominations that Republican senators can still confirm before January, when Democrats are set to take control of the Senate.

Every confirmation left for the lame-duck session has to compete for floor time with the rest of the Senate's business. Thune should explain why nominees still waiting today could not have been brought up earlier, when Republicans had more time.

With Democrats in charge next year, Trump will face a tougher path for his judicial nominees. Any vacancy involving Justices Samuel Alito or Clarence Thomas would make the stakes of that change clear in a hurry.

Then there is the SAVE America Act and its proposed citizenship verification requirement for people registering to vote in federal elections. Conservatives wanted it enacted while Republicans held the majority, but Thune's conference never agreed to change the filibuster for it. If Republican senators blocked that approach, their constituents deserve to hear who opposed it and what they proposed instead.

Conservatives made their frustration plain in replies to Thune's post announcing his reelection, questioning what they got from his leadership.

His colleagues have given him another chance to answer those voters with visible action. His tax record belongs in that discussion, alongside the House bills that stalled and the nominees who are still waiting.