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Trump Demands Senate Cancel Break 07/28 06:26
President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Senate Majority Leader John
Thune cancel the chamber's upcoming August break until senators pass a strict
proof-of-citizenship voting bill, even as Republicans lack the votes to advance
it.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump on Monday demanded that Senate
Majority Leader John Thune cancel the chamber's upcoming August break until
senators pass a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill, even as Republicans
lack the votes to advance it.
Trump has repeatedly urged Thune to scrap the legislative filibuster, which
effectively sets a 60-vote threshold for most legislation in the 100-member
Senate, or find another workaround to pass the voting bill, known as the SAVE
America Act. But Republicans hold only a 53-47 majority, and Thune has
consistently said they don't have the votes to pass the bill or change the
rules to get around the filibuster.
"John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to 'leave town' until
it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE
FILIBUSTER," Trump wrote on social media.
He later insisted to reporters Monday that he has a good relationship with
the Senate majority leader but said Thune has "got to get his job done."
It's the latest escalation in a monthslong pressure campaign by Trump and
others in the GOP base to pass the SAVE Act ahead of the midterms. A small but
vocal group of Republican senators has also increasingly pressed Thune to find
a way forward.
Thune responded Monday afternoon, telling reporters he would be supportive
of cancelling the break if there was a path forward on the legislation.
"We voted on it one, two, three, four, five times already," said Thune, who
counted each number on his hand for reporters. "Show me how this ends. What's
the picture of victory at the end?"
House Republicans have also attempted to create another path for the
legislation through the budget reconciliation process, which would allow grant
money associated with voting rules to pass the Senate with a simple majority.
The House last week approved a budget framework that included $10 billion
for voting-related changes aligned with the SAVE America Act. But Thune has
said Republicans don't currently have the votes for that approach, either.
Trump's pressure comes during an important period
The fight threatens to complicate the Senate's final legislative sprint
before the August break, when Thune had hoped to focus on a long list of
priorities that includes government funding, cryptocurrency legislation and
sanctions on Russia. The August break, scheduled to start on Aug. 7, is a
pivotal stretch for senators to return home and campaign ahead of the midterm
elections.
Several Republican senators are facing competitive races, including Maine
Sen. Susan Collins, Ohio Sen. Jon Husted and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan.
Republicans currently hold a 53-47 Senate majority. Republicans are confronting
broader political headwinds as well, including an unpopular war in Iran,
surging gas prices and costs that remain high for voters.
Thune has enjoyed broad support from his GOP conference all year as he's
pushed back on Trump's demands. He previously kept the SAVE Act on the Senate
floor for weeks in an effort to build additional support, but was unable to
secure the votes needed to advance it.
"You can stay here until the cows come home and it's not going to change
anything," said Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican who lost a primary earlier
this year to a Trump-backed candidate. "We keep overpromising and
underdelivering, which is not a recipe for voter morale or high voter
participation in the midterm elections."
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said he believes Thune's position on SAVE is
reflective of the majority of the GOP conference.
"The president has to look at the reality: The majority of Republican
members support John Thune," Tillis said. "I don't even think it's close."
Trump allies challenge Thune's approach
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who has led the push for the bill in the Senate,
escalated his pressure late last week, warning that how Republicans handle the
SAVE America Act "could impact not only the November midterm elections, but
also the Senate GOP leadership elections."
"Leaders must lead. And if they don't, they're not leaders," Lee wrote on
social media Friday.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy said he believes Thune is "being a bit too
cautious right now."
"At some point, you have to vote," Kennedy said.
Frustrated by the pressure when he doesn't have a route to pass the bill,
Thune has urged Trump, Lee and others to help him find the votes. Trump on
Friday said he'd "certainly be willing" to help call senators.
Asked last week if Trump is frustrated with Thune, White House press
secretary Karoline Leavitt said that "his patience is running out." But Trump
told reporters on Air Force Once Monday while traveling to an event in
Michigan, that he hasn't "even thought" about potential replacements for Thune.
The late-summer dispute echoes a similar fight before last year's August
recess, when Trump pressed Thune to keep senators in Washington to clear a
backlog of his nominees. The Senate ultimately left town without a deal after
negotiations with Democrats collapsed.
The SAVE America Act would create new national rules
The SAVE America Act, which stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility,
would require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote,
mostly through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It would also
require a valid photo identification before voters can cast ballots, which some
states already demand.
Voting experts have said the bill could disenfranchise some 20 million
American voters who don't have birth certificates or other documents readily
available.
Trump has made it his legislative priority in 2026, saying it would
"guarantee the midterms" and falsely claimed that election cheating is
"rampant." He previously declined to sign any other legislation until it was
passed.
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