Americans should expect a lot of activity from Senate Republicans in 2026 before the midterm elections, Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) — the Majority Whip — told the Washington Reporter in an interview.
“What a difference a year makes,” Barrasso said, days after Trump celebrated one year back in the White House. “We came into the year having won the election, because Democrats were the party of high prices and open borders, and it was the worst inflation in 40 years. 10,000 illegal immigrants were coming across every day.”
Now with Trump back in office, “the border has been successfully shut and protected,” but Barrasso and his colleagues want to keep the spotlight on the contrast between the two parties. He was just at the southern border with Sens. John Thune (R., S.D.), John Cornyn (R., Texas), Jon Husted (R., Ohio), Pete Ricketts (R., Neb.), Mike Rounds (R., S.D.), and Ashley Moody (R., Fla.), along with Michael Whatley and Mike Rogers.
“The last time we were there, it was 10,000 a day coming across, and nobody was coming at this point now that President Trump is back,” Barrasso said. “And it wasn’t that we needed new laws. We just needed to enforce the laws that were on the books… From that standpoint of high prices and open border, the border problem has been solved by this president.”
Now, Barrasso wants Republicans to turn to the other pillar of the agenda that they campaigned on: “With regard to high prices, that’s been the focus, and that was our legislative achievement of the year, the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and the huge difference in American families that it’s going to make,” he said. “It’s going to put more money in people’s pockets. We’re seeing it already at the gas pump in Wyoming, where gas is $1.91 a gallon.”
“It’s been a huge difference,” Barrasso said of the change in priorities from President Joe Biden to Trump. “In terms of what people are seeing there, and then people are really going to see the impact of that this year with no taxes on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. That’s a huge difference, and in terms of the jobs and the economy, we’ve focused on energy; we’re now energy dominant again. We’re focusing on affordable, available, reliable energy — not the Joe Biden approach of climate over energy costs. Those are all big things. And then, of course, we stopped the $4 trillion tax increase by the Democrats, which they wanted to force upon us. So here we are, a year later — safer, stronger and more prosperous as a nation, and we’re just getting started.”
On a local level, Barrasso was excited about wins that he and his home state colleague, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R., Wyo.) scored for farmers, ranchers, and small business owners. “We put out an entire two sides of advantages for the west in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and energy is a big part of it,” he said. “There are impacts on federal lands, as well as for small business owners and ranchers and farmers. We were able to get rid of the death tax, so you now can keep the ranch or the farm or the small business in the family, and you don’t have to sell it just to pay the tax man.”
Now, Barrasso wants to use legislative time to “look for ways to lower costs and put more money in people’s pockets,” and explore continuing resolutions that lock in Biden-era spending and replace them with regular appropriations packages.
“We’re putting together now the finishing touches of the appropriations process,” he said. “We’ve got six bills done, there are six more to go, and it sounds like we have gotten success on the pharmacy benefit manager components of this. That adds to the cost, and we have bipartisan solutions that I think are going to help put more money in people’s pockets.”
“The more appropriations bills we do,” Barrasso continued, “the better it is in moving the agenda from the Joe Biden agenda, which is what you get if you just do continuing resolutions, to the Trump agenda, which is what you do if you do appropriation bills with Republicans in the House and Republicans in the Senate.”
When asked about the work by Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R., Tenn.) on AI and the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Barrasso said that “Ted is very thoughtful on this, and he’s doing a great job as chairman of the Commerce Committee, and AI is a big issue for discussion in the Senate. I actually met with Elon Musk last week in Texas to talk about all that’s happening now in the world of artificial intelligence. I think many, many members are focused on it and the impacts it has on their district, and the impacts on the future of the economy, and it’s going to continue to be a discussion point, and Ted’s going to continue to lead the way as chairman of the Commerce Committee.”
When it comes to KOSA, Barrasso said that “Marsha Blackburn has done a great job with the Kids Online Safety Act, and I think it’s really important to make sure that our kids are protected, because there are a lot of folks out there that are after our kids in ways that are very harmful for our society.”
Barrasso, who was heavily engaged in flipping the Senate in 2024, told the Reporter that he plans to be similarly engaged in 2026. However, he said that Democrats would be wasting their time if they try to flip the seat Lummis is retiring.
He praised Lummis for being “all Wyoming, all the time” during her time representing the state in a myriad of positions. “She has been terrific, principled, passionate, patriotic. She was in the State House, State Senate, she was state Treasurer, served in the House of Representatives, and was our first woman U.S. senator. Her family history in Wyoming goes back to before statehood. She has a historical record in Wyoming that we’re all proud of.”
He said he expects Rep. Harriet Hageman (R., Wyo.) to succeed Lummis; Hageman, who ousted then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) in a primary, has Trump and Lummis’s support, Barrasso said. “Harriet Hageman is remarkable,” Barrasso said. “She’s done a great job in the House. She defeated Liz Cheney in a primary in Wyoming. She has a long family history in Wyoming. Her dad was in the Wyoming Legislature for decades. I’ve known her for decades. People ask me how I know her, and I tell them ‘she was in my wife’s law school class.’ In Wyoming, people know each other that way, and she’s going to be a great senator.”
While the Senate seat is Hageman’s to lose, Barrasso noted that the races for House and for governor are “wide open,” with a lot of room left for the fields to grow. “There are many people who have called me who are interested in running for one or the other,” he said. “And I would just say at this point that the field has not been filled out yet, and I think it’s going to be that there will be spirited campaigns for both.”
When it comes to states with more competitive Senate races, Barrasso said that he’s eager to help Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio) turn back a challenge from former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D. Ohio). He also wants to help Rep. Ashley Hinson (R., Iowa) keep Sen. Joni Ernst’s (R., Iowa) seat red, and he said that former Rep. Mike Rogers (R., Mich.) is in a great position to flip Michigan’s open Senate seat following the latter’s narrow defeat in 2024.
“I was there with him last time when he ran, and it was a very close race, and he’s even more prepared to take that seat this year, in a year where the Democrats have had a very contested primary in Michigan,” Barrasso said. “They have a three way fight, and it’s a race to the left. And Mike Rogers has an opportunity, as he has been doing when we had him at the border, to also continue to work around the state building on his success with the people that he met in 2024, which I think is going to lead to his success in 2026.”
“I’m going to be traveling all around the country, working as I can to raise money and help our candidates to maintain and build on the Republican majority we have now in the United States Senate,” Barrasso added.
Below is a transcript of our interview with Sen. John Barrasso, lightly edited for clarity.
Washington Reporter:
Senator Barrasso, we’re now at President Trump’s one year anniversary of the first year of his second term in office. From your standpoint, both as Senate GOP Whip and as Senator for Wyoming, what are you most proud of?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Well, what a difference a year makes. We came into the year having won the election, because Democrats were the party of high prices and open borders, and it was the worst inflation in 40 years. 10,000 illegal immigrants were coming across every day. I was at the border about a week ago, and we had nine of us there: John Thune, John Cornyn, Jon Husted, Ashley Moody, Mike Rogers, Michael Whatley, Pete Ricketts, Mike Rounds, and myself. So there were seven senators and two challengers. It was important for us to go because the last time we were there, it was 10,000 a day coming across, and nobody was coming at this point now that President Trump is back. And it wasn’t that we needed new laws. We just needed to enforce the laws that were on the books. So the border has been successfully shut and protected. The southern border is secure. So from that standpoint of high prices and open border, the border problem has been solved by this president. With regard to high prices, that’s been the focus, and that was our legislative achievement of the year, the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and the huge difference in American families that it’s going to make. It’s going to put more money in people’s pockets. We’re seeing it already at the gas pump in Wyoming, where gas is $1.91 a gallon. I’m not sure what you saw when you were in school in Chicago.
Washington Reporter:
Certainly higher gas prices than that, senator.
Sen. John Barrasso:
So it’s been a huge difference. In terms of what people are seeing there, and then people are really going to see the impact of that this year with no taxes on tips, no tax on overtime, no tax on Social Security. That’s a huge difference, and in terms of the jobs and the economy, we’ve focused on energy; we’re now energy dominant again. We’re focusing on affordable, available, reliable energy — not the Joe Biden approach of climate over energy costs. Those are all big things. And then, of course, we stopped the $4 trillion tax increase by the Democrats, which they wanted to force upon us. So here we are, a year later — safer, stronger and more prosperous as a nation, and we’re just getting started.
Washington Reporter:
And what is your agenda for Wyoming specifically?
Sen. John Barrasso:
My colleague, Cynthia Lummis, is chair of the Western Caucus, and we put out an entire two sides of advantages for the west in the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, and energy is a big part of it. There are impacts on on federal lands, as well as for small business owners and ranchers and farmers. We were able to get rid of the death tax, so you now can keep the ranch or the farm or the small business in the family, and you don’t have to sell it just to pay the tax man.
Washington Reporter:
Looking forward, what do you want to focus on this year? I interviewed President Trump recently, and he’s focusing on affordability from a variety of different angles. What more do you want to see done this year to continue that momentum from the Senate standpoint?
Sen. John Barrasso:
We’re continuing to look for ways to lower costs and put more money in people’s pockets, and President Trump has been leading the way on that, and we’re going to continue with that. We’re putting together now the finishing touches of the appropriations process. I know you’ve been covering that. We’ve got six bills done, there are six more to go, and it sounds like we have gotten success on the pharmacy benefit manager components of this. That adds to the cost, and we have bipartisan solutions that I think are going to help put more money in people’s pockets. And of course, the more appropriations bills we do, the better it is in moving the agenda from the Joe Biden agenda, which is what you get if you just do continuing resolutions, to the Trump agenda, which is what you do if you do appropriation bills with Republicans in the House and Republicans in the Senate. Schumer didn’t do any appropriations bills as the leader of the Senate, and we promised that if we were to take the House, the Senate, and the White House, we would do appropriations the way they’re supposed to be done, which is where we are with six completed now. So we’re halfway there, with six more to go, and it looks like the House is going to have great success this week, and then we’ll come back next week and be able to finish this off and keep the government open, with the agenda being the Trump agenda, not the Biden continuing resolution agenda.
Washington Reporter:
Are you optimistic that the House and Senate Democrats will not shut the government down, either this month or in September?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Well, there are several things there. There are still members of the Democrat Party that want to shut the government down. They have so much hatred for President Trump that they want to do anything they possibly can to obstruct success of the administration. I think we’re at a point where there are a number of Democrats who realize that’s not a good approach, and we will be able to get enough voting with us to keep the government open and funded. As you know, with each appropriations bill that passes, that funds a certain part of the government, and that part will not be shut down, even if there are certain components that have not been fully solved by the end of January.
Washington Reporter:
Is there anything in these upcoming appropriations that is a particular priority for you?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Well, I want to get the government funded with the Trump agenda, not the Biden agenda. So I think making sure that we have appropriations bills passed through a Republican majority in the House and Republican majority in the Senate and signed by President Trump. That is a big step in the right direction of getting the country back on track.
Washington Reporter:
From a legislative standpoint, Ted Cruz has a proposal to preempt state regulations on AI. Do you think that has legs, given how the Senate’s legislative calendar is shaping up this year?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Ted is very thoughtful on this, and he’s doing a great job as chairman of the Commerce Committee, and AI is a big issue for discussion in the Senate. I actually met with Elon Musk last week in Texas to talk about all that’s happening now in the world of artificial intelligence. I think many, many members are focused on it and the impacts it has on their district, and the impacts on the future of the economy, and it’s going to continue to be a discussion point, and Ted’s going to continue to lead the way as chairman of the Commerce Committee.
Washington Reporter:
Do you think any of the bills like the Kids Online Safety Act, or any of the other proposals floating around, are passable by the House and Senate this year?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Marsha Blackburn has done a great job with the Kids Online Safety Act, and I think it’s really important to make sure that our kids are protected, because there are a lot of folks out there that are after our kids in ways that are very harmful for our society.
Washington Reporter:
Let’s look at your state and then zoom out. You may be one of the only men representing Wyoming statewide after next year’s elections; how are things shaping up there for Senate, House, and for Governor?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Harriet Hageman is remarkable; she’s done a great job in the in the House. She defeated Liz Cheney in a primary in Wyoming. She has a long family history in Wyoming. Her dad was in the Wyoming Legislature for decades. I’ve known her for decades. People ask me how I know her and I tell them ‘she was in my wife’s law school class.’ In Wyoming, people know each other that way, and she’s going to be a great senator. The president now has endorsed her, as have I, as has Cynthia Lummis. The Democrats are not going to have any opportunity to take a look at the Wyoming Senate seat as a possible pickup for them. So that’s not going to happen. There are also wide open races for governor and for the House right now, and the primary is going to be in August. The filing deadline isn’t until at the end of May or the beginning of June. So there are many people who have called me who are interested in running for one or the other. And I would just say at this point that the field has not been filled out yet, and I think it’s going to be that there will be spirited campaigns for both.
Washington Reporter:
What do you think Senator Lummis’s legacy as senator will be?
Sen. John Barrasso:
All Wyoming, all the time. She has been terrific, principled, passionate, patriotic. She was in the State House, State Senate, she was state Treasurer, served in the House of Representatives, and was our first woman U.S. senator. Her family history in Wyoming goes back to before statehood. She has a historical record in Wyoming that we’re all proud of.
Washington Reporter:
You were just talking about being at the border. How do you keep that as an issue for this year’s elections, given that it’s in essence been solved?
Sen. John Barrasso:
At this point, our main focus is affordability. We promised two things. We promised to make America safer and more prosperous, and I think people are going to vote based on affordability, but they are very grateful for what’s happened right now with border security. And it’s interesting, the way you keep it in front of the voters’ minds, which was really what your what your question was, is to look at what the Democrats are doing today. They want to defund ICE. These are the people that have focused on defunding American security, and that’s what they want to do now. The Democrats want to defund American security, our nation’s security, and we are going to continue to point that out, and that’s how you keep in front of the voters’ minds — the fact that we were successful at the border. The Democrats don’t like it, and they want to defund it.
Washington Reporter:
One race that I’m particularly interested in is in Ohio, where you have a former colleague of yours, Sherrod Brown, running against your current colleague, Jon Husted. How do you navigate that as a guy who has relationships with both of them?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Well, I was in Ohio in 2024 campaigning for Bernie Moreno against Sherrod Brown. And I do plan to go back to Ohio with Jon Husted to campaign with him, because his approach is lower taxes, less spending, focus on affordability. And Sherrod Brown is a big spender. He’s part of this group that wants to defund ICE and defund our nation’s security. So it’s a very clear decision for me. Jon Husted is a member of our team in the Senate, and we’re trying to keep America back on track, and keep getting America back on track at a time when Sherrod Brown is the number one recruit for Chuck Schumer in Chuck Schumer’s goal to become Majority Leader, and I want to prevent that.
Washington Reporter:
Looking at the rest of the Senate map, you’ve got Mike Rogers, Ashley Hinson, and others. These are people who are running for open seats to either flip or to retain them for the GOP. How do you see that shaping out, and what do you want your role to be for the next 10 months? In 2024 we covered your extensive campaign travel across the country. You have plans on doing that again, I would figure.
Sen. John Barrasso:
Yes, absolutely. I’ll be in Iowa with Ashley when she wants me. And the same thing with Mike Rogers. I was there with him last time when he ran, and it was a very close race, and he’s even more prepared to take that seat this year, in a year where the Democrats have had a very contested primary in Michigan. They have a three way fight, and it’s a race to the left. And Mike Rogers has an opportunity, as he has been doing when we had him at the border, to also continue to work around the state building on his success with the people that he met in 2024, which I think is going to lead to his success in 2026. I’m going to be traveling all around the country, working as I can to raise money and help our candidates to maintain and build on the Republican majority we have now in the United States Senate.
Washington Reporter:
I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you this — you’re probably not interested in running for the at large House seat, but Wyoming man Josh Allen just saw his head coach fired. Are you interested in the Bills’s head coaching job?
Sen. John Barrasso:
Can you imagine the historic day for Wyoming when you had two University of Wyoming players both scoring touchdowns in that game with the Bills and the Broncos? Josh Allen, that was no surprise, but Frank Crum is a six foot nine, big blonde kid with flowing locks of blonde hair who went to Laramie High School. I knew him in high school. His dad is in the state senate in Wyoming now. But no, I likely am not interested in being their head coach in Buffalo.
Washington Reporter:
I can confidently say that only you could discuss the Wyoming angle of Frank Crum for the Broncos-Bills playoff game in the NFL, and that’s why you’re the senior senator. Thanks so much for chatting.
