'Has Hell frozen over?' Senate GOP leader gets cheeky over holdout Republican
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to the media, on the day of the Senate Republicans' weekly policy lunch on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 19, 2025. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) is desperately trying to wrangle the Republican caucus to pass President Donald Trump's budget, which he refers to as the "big, beautiful bill."

Thus far, several Republicans are opposed to the measure over significant cuts to programs like Medicaid.

However, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has taken issue with the trillions that the bill will add to the deficit. A long-time fiscal hawk, Paul told "Meet the Press" on Sunday that he is "not an absolute no" on the package.

Still, when Bloomberg News congressional reporter Erik Wasson asked Thune whether he's managed to flip Paul's vote to yes, he responded, “Has Hell frozen over?"

Thune sent the bill to the Senate Appropriations Committee for some further work.

Trump wanted the bill to be on the books by the Fourth of July holiday, which is in a few weeks.