Senate Majority Leader John Thune is caught between a restless Republican caucus eager to leave Washington and a president demanding the chamber remain in session.
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to insist that Thune “should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town'” until it passes the SAVE America Act.
The SAVE America Act is a GOP-crafted bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and mandate photo ID at the polls.
The sweeping legislation does not currently have the 60 votes needed to advance through the Senate, making its passage before recess a near impossibility.
Senate Republicans left a closed-door lunch meeting frustrated, with no clear plan emerging for how to wrap up the work period before departing for a five-week August break.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) did not hide his irritation after the meeting, saying bluntly: “To be honest, it was a pretty worthless meeting. I have no idea where we are.”
Kennedy went further, fuming: “If there’s a plan, they’re doing a really good job of hiding it.”
Thune has publicly identified his top priorities as passing a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11 and confirming a package of 74 of Trump’s nominees.
Trump has sharpened his criticism of the Senate itself, deriding it as “a place you send things when you want them to die” and warning that Thune “has got to get his job done.”
Beyond the SAVE America Act, Trump has also pressured the Senate to pass a reconciliation blueprint before members disperse, a goal that similarly faces long odds in the chamber.
With the midterm elections just 99 days away, leaders on both sides of the aisle are anxious to return to their home states and campaign in person with voters.
The standoff reflects a broader tension within the Republican Party between a White House pushing an aggressive legislative agenda and a Senate that is struggling to build the coalitions needed to advance it.
