The senators who want to cancel recess over the SAVE America Act
Pressure is mounting on Senate Majority Leader John thune (R-SD) to keep the Senate in session until the passage of the SAVE america Act. With the August recess approaching, 14 senators, primarily Republicans, are advocating for the senate to stay in Washington to pass key legislation, including voter ID and citizenship proof measures. Led by Senators like Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Tommy Tuberville, and others, these lawmakers have expressed support for canceling the recess, with some emphasizing the importance of securing election integrity.
Senator Lee has actively objected to the recess, requesting a roll call vote to keep the Senate in session until the legislation is passed, asserting he does not consent to a break. Despite this, Senate Republican Leader Thune has indicated that staying in session may not alter the prospects of passing the bill, as it lacks sufficient Democratic support and the necessary votes to overcome the filibuster. President Trump has also urged the Senate to remain in session until the bill’s passage and has called for the termination of the filibuster, which Thune considers unlikely given current votes.
Discussions are ongoing about whether budget reconciliation can be used to pass parts of the legislation, with Thune open to staying longer if there’s a real chance of success. Meanwhile, the Senate is prioritizing other legislation before the recess, including sanctions bills and government funding measures. The outcome largely hinges on Senate dynamics, voting support, and whether bipartisan cooperation can be achieved to advance the agenda before the scheduled recess.
Pressure is growing against Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to keep the upper chamber in session until it passes the SAVE America Act.
With just a handful of legislative days left until the Senate’s scheduled August recess, 14 senators have either called for the cancellation of recess or expressed support for staying in Washington until the GOP’s flagship voter ID and proof of citizenship bill is passed.
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Led by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Jim Banks (R-IN), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Roger Marshall (R-KS), and Ted Cruz (R-TX) have called to cancel recess.
Sens. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Todd Young (R-IN), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), and Dave McCormick (R-PA) have expressed support for staying in Washington.
A 15th GOP member, Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), has not directly called for the cancellation of the August recess but said in a statement that he was “committed to doing whatever it takes” to make sure the Senate votes on the legislation.
Lee, the sponsor of the SAVE America Act in the Senate, began a maelstrom over the weekend after he posted on X that he would “object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August—at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act” and requested a roll call vote.
“Do not assume you have my consent,” Lee warned Thune. “You do not.”
“I stand with @basedmikelee,” Scott wrote on X. “I will vote to stay in session unless we have passed the SAVE America Act. The American people expect us to deliver. They deserve secure elections.”
The Senate typically adjourns through unanimous consent, but if Lee or another senator goes to the floor to object, they could force a roll call vote. However, it is not clear if a roll call vote would be successful, as a motion to delay the August recess would need at least 50 senators to support it.
When asked about calls to stay in session over the August recess, Thune told reporters that while he is “for anything that we can do to get the SAVE America Act passed,” staying in session was not going to change the fact that the legislation does not have enough Democratic support in the upper chamber to pass the filibuster.
“The question I always ask is, ‘What is your picture of victory at the end?’” Thune asked. “’What is the endgame here?’ And if, in fact, staying here for the month of August means that we assume, at some point, there are going to be 10 Democrats to cross over and vote for the SAVE America Act, I think we’d stay here till Christmas. That’s not going to happen.”
President Donald Trump has joined the chorus of Republicans pressing Thune to keep the Senate in session, saying the majority leader should not allow members to leave town until the SAVE America Act is passed.
The president also reupped his call to terminate the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to advance legislation in the upper chamber. Thune has repeatedly said there are not enough votes to do so.
Republicans are attempting to clear several high-profile pieces of legislation before they leave for their August recess, which is scheduled to start the week of the 10th.
That includes a Russia and Iran sanctions bill in honor of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, and a continuing resolution to fund the government past a September deadline. Republicans are also working on a budget framework for a third party-line budget bill, through which the party hopes to pass parts of the SAVE America Act.
Thune told reporters Wednesday that the Senate was weighing whether budget reconciliation was a viable path forward to passing parts of the SAVE America Act, and that if it is, he was open to staying in Washington.
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“If we conclude that there is actually a chance to get an outcome or a result there, I’m open to doing it,” Thune said. “I think all of our colleagues would be open to staying around here if that were true. But I think that we have to see, first of all, that can be proven to be the case.
“But I don’t think, you know, having a Congress Senate sitting around here for the month of August in quorum calls or having to vote on Democrat amendments is probably a good use of anybody’s time. So we will see and see where the conversation goes.”
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