“Face the Nation” moderator Margaret Brennan sits down with Senate Majority Leader John Thune for an exclusive interview

WASHINGTON (CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday for an exclusive interview.

During the interview, Thune says Senate Republicans could pass a major investment in border security and immigration enforcement on a party-line vote, without Democrats, and that the bill could also include spending for defense and energy policy.

"Can we do this through reconciliation? We're obviously looking at our options," he says.

When Brennan asked Thune how often he speaks to President-Elect Donald Trump, Thune said, "Fairly regularly. We've stayed in pretty good communication and contact, both in advance of the election and then subsequent to it, and especially now as we start charting the path forward with the agenda, obviously getting consultation from him...from his team."

Thune also added, "We're working closely with his team now as we start to take control of the Senate now, in the House...and hopefully in the next couple of weeks before he takes the oath of office, we'll have things set up for him, including the opportunity to confirm a lot of his nominees."

Brennan then asked Thune if Vice President-Elect J.D. Vance will be "the guy sort of translating between the politics of the possible on the Hill," to which Thune said:

"I think J.D. is already performing that role, and I think will continue to. I think, obviously, he has the President's ear. He's widely respected by his colleagues here in the Senate and in the House, I would add. And I think he will be somebody who can help the administration, as they work through these issues, figure out what's realistic, what's achievable, what we can accomplish here in the Senate, because he's been here. He knows it's challenging...but he's an incredibly talented person, as you know, very smart and a quick study. And I think there- if there's anybody who has been able to acclimate and understand the, sort of the unique aspects of how the Senate operates in a short amount of time, it's him. But he's the President of the Senate, and I would expect that he'll continue to be someone that acts as a, you know, sort of an intermediary with the White House and the Senate and the House in trying to implement the President's agenda."

Brennan also brought up, during her interview with Thune, is that the Senate Majority Leader had disagreements with the president-elect "in the past, as part of [the] Advise and Consent role, the role of the Senate," prompting Brennan to ask Thune if he will tell Trump when he's wrong, and Thune said:

"I will, and I think my job is to do everything I can to help him achieve success, be a successful president, which, in my view, means that we'll be a successful country. The things that he talked about on the campaign trail, the things that the American people voted for, are all things that I think this President wants to get done, we want to get done, and I say that our incentives are aligned. We have the same set of objectives. We want to get to the same destination, but I think at times, there will be differences in how we get there. And I think I have to spell out as clearly as I can to anybody who asks, what the challenges are in the Senate. The Senate is a very different institution. Clearly functions different than the House of Representatives. And understanding the unique aspects of how the Senate operates is something that I'm going to have to be able to share and convey to the President and help him understand, I think, what the...you know, what the contours are, what we can accomplish here in the Senate, and what's realistic."

To watch Brennan's full interview with Thune, click here.