Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has been in touch with Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) almost daily as Republicans debate whether to pass border and energy reforms right away or wait several months so they can be joined with difficult-to-negotiate tax cuts.

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Thune supports the first approach, arguing it would give Trump a victory within weeks of taking office on Jan. 20. But Johnson, navigating a one-seat majority in the House, has sided with tax writers in his chamber who believe the border can serve as a deal sweetener if it’s bundled with their legislation.

Thune faced a setback on Sunday when Trump announced his support for “one powerful bill.” Johnson relayed the decision hours earlier during a House GOP retreat at Fort McNair, seemingly ending weeks of divisions within the conference.

But the Senate has not yet bought into that strategy, while Trump himself seemed to waver in a Monday radio interview. He told commentator Hugh Hewitt that he views the one-bill approach as “cleaner” but is open to either path forward.

Thune told the Washington Examiner he would meet with Johnson on Tuesday for their third conversation in the last several days. He attended the Fort McNair retreat and then spoke with Johnson over the phone Monday morning.

“I think both of us are trying to understand that we have diverse caucuses and different dynamics,” Thune said in an interview.

Trump, for his part, spent Sunday night on the phone or texting with each congressional leader.

“We have ongoing and constant dialogue about these issues,” Johnson said of Trump on Monday. “And what he wants to ensure is that we deliver the America First agenda. That is our mission, that is our intent.”

Thune appeared to soften his position on timing, telling reporters on Monday that “the process issues, to me, are a lot less important than the result.”

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans were coming to terms with the reality that, mathematically, it will be difficult for the House to pass one, let alone two, packages in 2025.

Johnson won a second term as speaker last Friday, but not without two hours of suspense over whether hard-line members would deny him the votes.

“The House is a very thoughtful but dysfunctional body right now,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), an ally of both Thune and Johnson.

“All I’m saying is that I know the Senate can deliver whatever the House sends over,” he added.

Senate leadership hopes to huddle with Trump on Wednesday when he is in town for former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral.

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), the chairwoman of the Republican Policy Committee, invited Trump for a meeting on his legislative priorities, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Yet, for now, there is nothing approaching unanimity in the Senate. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who runs the Budget Committee, warned of “national security implications” if Congress delays the border portion, which Thune hopes to pair with additional defense spending.

Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID), the chief tax writer in the Senate, has stayed neutral in the process.

“I know there’s been a discussion between the speaker and the leader and the president on that, and I basically have just made it clear that I’ll be ready to go with whatever they decide,” Crapo said.

Over in the House, Republicans are planning a series of trips down to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

On Friday, Trump will reportedly host members of the Freedom Caucus, followed by a Saturday meeting with blue-state Republicans demanding changes to SALT, a tax deduction for high-income earners.

Ramsey Touchberry and Cami Mondeaux contributed to this report.