House Majority Whip Tom Emmer told donors at a closed-door fundraiser last week that Senate Republicans operate apart from party divisions, according to Axios, which attended the event for Rep. Mark Harris. Emmer said, “There are no Democrats. There are no Republicans. They are just senators.”
Emmer's comments reflected frustrations among House Republicans with the Senate, Axios reported. He said Senate Majority Leader John Thune “is doing the job that he thinks he's supposed to do” and described the Senate as having “a certain fraternity sorority.” Axios said Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise do not publicly speak about Senate counterparts in the same manner.