By Art Harman, Senior Vice President – Policy, The Conservative Caucus
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has betrayed Americans and President Trump. His deliberate obstructionism blocked critical laws from being enacted — including the SAVE America Act — and he blocks or delays confirmation of vital administration and judicial nominees.
We now demand that the Republicans in the Senate replace Thune with a Majority Leader who will pass the SAVE America Act, fully fund ICE and DHS, enact serious budget cuts, take full advantage of reconciliation bills, allow Trump to make ‘recess appointments,’ and rapidly confirm Trump’s nominees.
Thune is working more for the Democrats than for the conservative agenda.
FOR DISTRIBUTION TO SENATORS & SIGNATORIES
Download the Articles of Rejection
Print, sign, circulate. A clean, undecorated PDF of the Resolution and all eight Articles — ready for distribution to Senate offices and signing coalitions.
How the Majority Leader Can Be Replaced
The rules of the ‘Republican Conference’ (the unofficial group of all Republican Senators) establish that the Majority Leader’s term normally lasts for ‘a Congress’ (two years) — but the Conference can act at any time to replace the Leader.
STEP 1. The GOP Conference Chairman, Tom Cotton (AR), must convene a meeting of the Republican Senators if requested by at least five Republican Senators.
STEP 2. A vote would then be held to remove the current Leader.
STEP 3. If the vote to remove the Leader is successful, an election would be held for a new Leader. One or more candidates would declare their candidacy, and voting rounds would typically be conducted by secret ballot until one gains a majority.
Finding the five to challenge the Leader will be difficult, but we can win. We must find a true conservative willing to run for Leader and then find 27 Senators (a majority of the GOP Senate members) with the courage to vote to oust Thune. There could be multiple rounds of voting until one gains the majority.
This action is essential to enact the SAVE America Act and other critical bills. We have enough time to replace the Leader and then pass legislation to help make America greater — which will help us hold the majority in the election.
RINO Senators may believe they must retain their obstructionist powers for when they are in the minority again, but today’s radical Democrats will immediately repeal all rules that prevent exercising absolute monopoly power.
Senator John Thune has proven he is not a leader worthy of the title and its responsibilities. The Senate has the responsibility to remove Thune and replace him with a Leader who will use all the powers of the Senate to enact the conservative agenda.
ARTICLES OF REJECTION AGAINST
SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JOHN THUNE
BY
THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
RESOLUTION
Resolved by the People of the United States of America, that Senate Majority Leader John Thune hereby must be removed by the Republican Conference for high crimes and misdemeanors against the conservative movement, the Trump agenda, and the mandate of the 2024 election. Further, the Conference must elect a new Majority Leader who will approve the conservative agenda and the nominees of the President.
Article I: Betrayal of the Mandate by Forbidding the Use of the Historic Talking Filibuster
In his conduct as Senate Majority Leader, John Thune is in violation of his duty to advance the will of the more than 80% of Americans who demand securing our elections and who delivered what they thought was a conservative Congress, yet he has willfully and obstinately refused to use the ‘talking filibuster.’
Despite repeated direct appeals from President Donald J. Trump and the American people to pass the SAVE America Act and critical border security measures, Thune cited a “lack of votes” and defended Senate “norms” over legislative and electoral victories. This dereliction has stalled vital legislation to secure elections, enforce immigration laws, and deliver on promises made to the American people, thereby empowering Democrat obstructionists and undermining the Republican majority’s purpose.
Article II: Protection of the Partisan Parliamentarian
John Thune has defied President Trump’s explicit directive to remove the Democrat-appointed Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough after her repeated rulings that blocked key provisions in Republican reconciliation and immigration enforcement bills — including funding essential to our nation’s security needs.
By publicly expressing “concern” over criticism of the parliamentarian and refusing to exercise the Majority Leader’s clear authority to replace her, Thune has prioritized institutional preservation and the career of the Democrat-appointed staff over the conservative agenda, allowing procedural sabotage to continue unchecked.
Article III: Sabotaging the Trump Agenda
John Thune has engaged in a pattern of delay, equivocation, and negotiations with the Democrat party that has materially slowed the implementation of President Trump’s priorities on border security, government efficiency, nominations, and massive spending cuts. His leadership has produced frustration rather than results, echoing the failed McConnell-era approach of incrementalism and institutional excuses at a time when bold, decisive action is required. This conduct has demoralized the conservative base and squandered the historic opportunity presented by Republican control of the White House, House, and Senate.
Article IV: Disloyalty and Prioritization of the Senate “Club” Over Constituents
Thune has repeatedly placed the comfort and traditions of the Senate “club” above loyalty to President Trump and the millions of Americans who voted for sweeping change. His history of criticizing President Trump combined with his current resistance to MAGA-backed reforms, demonstrates a consistent preference for Washington establishment norms over the America First movement that elected him and his colleagues.
Article V: Failure of Leadership and Abdication of Responsibility
Where strong leadership was demanded to whip votes, change rules as necessary, and deliver results, John Thune has repeatedly declared “we don’t have the votes” instead of acting as a true leader to obtain them. This abdication has emboldened internal opposition and external critics while failing the conservative cause at a critical moment in American history.
Article VII: Refusal to Eliminate the Blue Slip Obstruction and Surrender of Judicial Confirmation Power
In his conduct as Senate Majority Leader, John Thune has willfully refused to abolish or reform the Senate Judiciary Committee’s blue slip tradition, thereby granting Democrat Senators total veto power over President Trump’s judicial nominees and U.S. Attorneys. Despite the Republican majority’s mandate, Thune has publicly defended this outdated practice, stating there is “no strong interest” in changing it and citing his own past use of blue slips.
By preventing the use of the blue slip, Thune directly enabled Democrats to block or delay conservative nominees for district court judges and prosecutors without a floor vote, slowing the transformation of the federal judiciary and undermining the America First agenda. Thune’s stubborn defense of Senate “norms” over results constitutes a clear betrayal of the 2024 election mandate.
Article VIII: Denial of the President’s Constitutional Recess Appointment Power
In his conduct as Senate Majority Leader, John Thune has willfully obstructed President Donald J. Trump from exercising his express constitutional authority under Article II, Section 2, Clause 3, which states: “The President shall have Power to fill up all Vacancies that may happen during the Recess of the Senate, by granting Commissions which shall expire at the End of their next Session.”
Despite publicly claiming during his leadership campaign that “all options are on the table, including recess appointments,” Thune has instead supported routine pro-forma sessions to keep the Senate artificially in session, effectively outlawing the President’s recess appointment power. This has prevented President Trump from installing key nominees essential to the America First agenda.
By placing Senate institutional traditions above the constitutional prerogatives of the Presidency and the 2024 election mandate, Thune has surrendered a vital tool granted by the Framers and demonstrated clear disloyalty to both the President and conservative voters. His refusal to allow genuine recesses constitutes a direct betrayal of his duty as Majority Leader and a subversion of the separation of powers.
In all this, Majority Leader John Thune gravely endangered the ability of the duly elected President of the United States to conduct the essential affairs for the security of the United States and its institutions of Government. He threatened the integrity of the republican system of government, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of Government. He thereby betrayed his trust as the leader of the Republican Caucus of the United States Senate, to the manifest injury of the people of the United States.
Wherefore, We The People demand the immediate convening of the Senate Republican Conference to vote on the removal of John Thune as Majority Leader and his replacement by a proven fighter committed to the conservative Trump agenda without reservation or delay.
Download. Sign. Circulate.
Print the Articles of Rejection and share them with Senate offices, conservative leaders, and signing coalitions in your state.
Action Items
- Download and circulate the Articles of Rejection. Send to conservative organization leaders, state party officials, and trusted allies in the Senate.
- Call your Senators. Demand they request that GOP Conference Chairman Tom Cotton convene a meeting to replace Thune. U.S. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121.
- Call Conference Chairman Tom Cotton directly: 202-224-2353.
- Write to your local newspaper and call talk radio shows. Spread the case for new Senate leadership.
- Share this post and the Articles on your social media and with everyone you know.
— Art Harman, Senior Vice President – Policy, The Conservative Caucus
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About the author: Art Harman is Senior Vice President – Policy at The Conservative Caucus.
About The Conservative Caucus: Founded in 1974, The Conservative Caucus is a grassroots public policy action organization. Under President Jim Pfaff, the Caucus advances free enterprise, limited government, and traditional values.
Published May 27, 2026 by The Conservative Caucus.
Peter J. Thomas is a veteran conservative political strategist and seasoned policy expert dedicated to upholding the principles of the Constitution and democracy. As a founder and the chairman of the Conservative Caucus, he has played a pivotal role in promoting and shaping the conservative agenda across the nation for over half a century.