"If I thought there was a path to getting a result, I'm all for it," said Thune.
Expressing the practical constraints facing the Senate leadership, Thune asked for a realistic strategy from advocates of the bill.
"Show me how this ends. What's the picture of victory at the end?"
said Thune.
He affirmed that opposition within the party to changing procedural rules remains constant.
"This is not an open question. It's just a fact, and the facts don't change," said Thune.
Responding to Trump's public remarks directly, Thune acknowledged the criticism while pointing back to his conference.
"All right. Well, that's nice of him, I guess.
I don't know — what do you say on that? That's a decision that's made by my colleagues," said Thune.
The White House confirmed that executive patience with the Senate's current pace is limited.
"Patience is running out," said Karoline Leavitt, White House Press Secretary.
Republican Reactions
Several Senate Republicans stepped forward to defend Thune's management of the narrow 53-seat majority, noting that more than a dozen GOP senators oppose changing filibuster rules.
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"I think it's wrong to blame Thune for this — Senator Thune," said Roger Marshall, U. S.
Senator from Kansas. "This is not his fault."
Senators also highlighted the difficulty of managing a slim majority while confronting procedural roadblocks in the upper chamber.
"I hope that the next Congress, the people with the election certificates as U. S.
