Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has a 53-47 needle to thread this week on the $9.4 billion rescissions package passed by the House.

While it can move with a simple majority, five Senate Republicans are potentially pushing against President Donald Trump’s desire for massive spending cuts, if only to maintain their power of the purse in their seats on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Democrats are always a no on anything Trump seeks, but they’re adding the threat of turnabout for Senate Republicans moving another appropriations bill by a simple majority instead of the 60-vote Senate filibuster threshold.

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