President Donald Trump and three Republican senators called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to block the chamber’s scheduled summer recess until Congress passes the Safeguard America Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.
Trump, alongside Republican Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida, and Ashley Moody of Florida, urged Senate leadership to remain in session past the planned break, which lasts through mid-September. Under Senate rules, any single member can object to procedural requests to enter a recess.
Trump pressed the Senate leadership on social media to keep lawmakers in Washington to pass the legislation or alter the chamber’s voting threshold.
“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, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!” Trump posted on Truth Social. “The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership. Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”
Lee announced he would formally object to moving into recess without action on the voting bill.
“.@LeaderJohnThune, I hereby 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 hereby request a roll call vote,” Lee stated. “Do not assume you have my consent. You do not.”
Scott and Moody expressed similar positions, insisting the Senate complete work on the election measure before taking time off.
“I stand with @basedmikelee. I will vote to stay in session unless we have passed the SAVE America Act,” Scott said. “The American people expect us to deliver. They deserve secure elections.”
Moody voiced a similar demand to stay in Washington. “I didn’t come to the United States Senate because I needed something to do,” Moody said. “I’m serving because there are things we need to get done for the American People. The Senate needs to stay in session until we can get the SAVE America Act to the floor and passed.”
Lee and Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama previously suggested canceling a two-week recess scheduled for July. However, senators began that break early after no formal objections were raised in June.
Thune has repeatedly stated that supporters currently lack the required votes to clear the SAVE America Act through the Senate.
In protest of the impasse, Trump previously canceled a signing ceremony for the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, citing the Senate’s delay on the voting bill.
Opposition within the Republican caucus has also emerged. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters on July 15 that efforts to pass the SAVE America Act, including attempting to attach it to a budget reconciliation package, were a “waste of time.”
The push for the voting bill has sparked friction across Capitol Hill. On June 30, a group of House conservatives led by Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., and Chip Roy, R-Texas, temporarily brought legislative business on the House floor to a halt. The group voted down a rule that would have allowed consideration to attach the SAVE America Act to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
House operations resumed after lawmakers passed a separate rule attaching the SAVE America Act to the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2027.
READ: ‘Kill A Few Chickens’: Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy Warns Iran Pullout Would Be ‘Huge Mistake’
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