As Thune rushed to advance a new funding package this month, he faced a familiar roadblock: a trio of Senate hard-liners that were once dismissed as outliers. This year has shown just how much their influence has grown.

As Thune rushed to advance a new funding package this month, he faced a familiar roadblock: a trio of Senate hard-liners that were once dismissed as outliers. This year has shown just how much their influence has grown.