Trump demands Senate cancel August break until it passes voting bill

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 known as the SAVE America Act, according to Apnews. The push comes even as Republicans lack the votes to advance the legislation, which would require people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote and photo identification to cast ballots, according to The Hill.

Trump Demands Cancellation of Senate August Break Over Voting Bill

Trump has repeatedly urged Thune to scrap the legislative filibuster—which sets a 60-vote threshold for most legislation in the 100-member Senate—or find another workaround to pass the measure. 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, as cited by The Hill. Trump later told reporters that he has a good relationship with Thune but said the majority leader has got to get his job done.

Thune Responds and Outlines Senate Deadlock

Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, but Thune has consistently said the conference does not have the votes to pass the bill or change the rules to bypass the filibuster, according to Apnews. Reacting coolly to Trump’s demand, Thune told reporters he would support canceling the August break if there were a genuine path forward, but warned against wasting time with unproductive procedural votes.

Photo: Ocregister

We voted on it one, two, three, four, five times already, Thune said, counting each number on his hand while speaking to reporters, according to Apnews. Show me how this ends. What’s the picture of victory at the end?

Photo: Apnews

Thune also pointed out that colleagues facing tough races need to return home to campaign ahead of the Nov. 3 election to keep the Senate in Republican control, noting vulnerable senators such as Susan Collins of Maine, Dan Sullivan of Alaska, and Jon Husted of Ohio, according to The Hill and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Not a single Democrat has voted for the legislation, and several Republicans—including Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky—have also voted against it, according to The Hill.

Trump wanted to block this bridge between the U.S. and Canada. It’s about to open

Republican Divisions and Broader Legislative Stakes

The pressure campaign threatens to complicate the Senate’s final legislative sprint before the scheduled Aug. 7 break, during which Thune had hoped to focus on government funding, cryptocurrency legislation, and sanctions on Russia, according to Apnews.

House Republicans previously attempted to create another path via the budget reconciliation process by approving a budget framework with $10 billion for voting-related changes aligned with the SAVE America Act, allowing grant money associated with voting rules to pass with a simple majority. However, Thune stated that Republicans currently lack the votes for that approach as well, according to Apnews.

Meanwhile, other Republican lawmakers have escalated their rhetoric. Utah Sen. Mike Lee warned late last week that how Republicans handle the SAVE America Act could impact not only the November midterm elections, but also the Senate GOP leadership elections, writing on social media that leaders must lead. And if they don’t, they’re not leaders, as reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Conversely, Texas Sen. John Cornyn told reporters that staying in session will not change the outcome, stating, We keep overpromising and underdelivering, which is not a recipe for voter morale or high voter participation in the midterm elections, according to Apnews.