The Senate departed Washington for a five-week recess Saturday following tense overnight negotiations and a series of early morning votes that resolved several outstanding legislative disputes.
Senators passed a bipartisan bill to avert a federal government shutdown beginning in October, with the measure now heading to the House for consideration.
The chamber also confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a narrow 50-49 vote, one of the final actions taken before members left the Capitol.
Senate Majority Leader Thune secured the rapid overnight votes after striking a deal with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) that cleared a significant procedural logjam.
Under the agreement, action on a Senate Commerce Committee bill establishing rules and standards for the compensation and recruitment of college athletes was postponed until September.
Cruz’s disagreement over whether to hold votes on the college sports bill had stalled broader negotiations over speeding up the procedural timeline for the continuing resolution.
The standoff effectively froze Senate action for much of Thursday and Friday before the deal was finally reached in the early morning hours Saturday.
Senate Republicans also agreed to set aside, at least temporarily, President Trump’s demand to approve another budget resolution that would have paved the way for tens of billions of dollars in new military spending.
The Senate similarly deferred action on the SAVE America Act, another Trump priority that had been pushed for consideration before the recess period began.
Senators will spend the coming weeks returning to their home states or participating in congressional delegation trips abroad, with no scheduled return to Washington until September 14.
The five-week break leaves several significant legislative items unresolved, with the college sports compensation bill, military spending resolution, and SAVE America Act all awaiting action when Congress reconvenes next month.
The narrow margin on the Blanche confirmation underscores the continuing political tensions within the chamber, even as both parties managed to find enough common ground to prevent a government shutdown this fall.
