GOP Rep. Calls For Removal Of John Thune

A growing divide within the Republican Party spilled into public view Friday after Tennessee Rep. John Rose (R-TN) called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to step aside from leadership, following a controversial deal to end the Department of Homeland Security shutdown. “We should call on Thune to step aside,” Rose said in an interview, marking one of the most direct challenges yet to Republican leadership amid frustration from conservative lawmakers. Thune became Senate Majority Leader in January 2025. The dispute comes after the Senate voted overnight to reopen much of DHS following a 42-day standoff that disrupted airport security operations and left thousands of federal workers without pay. The funding package restores operations for agencies like TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Gu