‘Border,’ ‘Budget’ and Bucking Biden Are Senate GOP’s Top Priorities Next Year

Senate Republicans on the ballot this fall highlight their top policy priorities

Graphic by Pilar Belendez-Desha/24sight

With just six months to go before the November elections, 24sight quizzed Senate Republicans in cycle right now – as well as leadership hopefuls – about what they must focus on next session to prove they deserve to govern.  

The advent of a potential change in the U.S. presidency coupled with an open leadership race on Capitol Hill – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell previously announced that he’s relinquishing power this fall, spurring conservative hardliners to close ranks – provided the perfect opportunity to pick lawmakers’ brains about crafting an agenda for the 119th Congress. 

While on any given day congressional Republicans in both chambers tend to find themselves at crosscurrents with colleagues regarding polarizing issues – such as impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, supplying war-torn Ukraine with emergency funding, or banning social media hub TikTok – Senate Republicans currently bouncing between D.C. and the campaign trail appear willing to collaborate in certain cases. 

Some of those interviewed for this story floated pet projects not mentioned by anyone else, including appointing conservative judges to the federal bench (Sen. John Cornyn of Texas) and combating Big Tech/corporate censorship (Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri). 

The following is a breakdown of the most fervently discussed topics, ranked from most to least talked about. 

Border enforcement

Two-thirds of the sitting Republicans seeking reelection brought up cracking down on the southern U.S. border almost immediately. 

“Promise, promise, promise to secure the border,” Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said when asked to sketch out his 2025 to-do list. Cramer is seeking a second term this fall. 

Securing the border was also top of mind for Senate Republican Conference Chair John Barrasso – “Because Joe Biden is an open border president,” the Trump-backing Wyoming Republican and aspiring Senate GOP Whip told 24sight – freshman Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, likely Senate leadership contender Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, and Hawley. 

“I think we should be sort of obsessively focused on solving the southern border crisis,” Vance, who just got to Capitol Hill but has already butted heads with current GOP leaders on several occasions, told 24sight of his personal preference. 

Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the lead Republican negotiator on the bipartisan border deal Donald Trump blew up earlier this year, agreed with his colleagues about containing the flow of migrants across the U.S.-Mexico divide. 

“Border issues continue to skyrocket. We need it regardless of who's in the White House,” Lankford, who is running for vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference, told 24sight of the impetus for change. 

He’s just not sure how to get there while partisans on both sides of the aisle remain bogged down in electoral politics.