Thune Resists Trump's $95 Billion Senate Push as GOP Balks at Canceling Recess

Q: With a crowded Senate calendar, which priorities could be delayed if more time is spent on an election bill lacking a clear path?

More floor time on the SAVE America Act could squeeze or delay several major Senate priorities already competing for attention before the August break. The most immediate risk is government funding. Lawmakers face a Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a shutdown, and Senate leaders have been trying to move either appropriations measures or a short-term funding bill before recess. Extra time spent on an elections bill with no clear route to 60 votes could eat into that schedule. National security items are also vulnerable. The Senate still has to deal with the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which has already run into procedural trouble, and the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which remains unresolved and time-sensitive. Debate over Iran-related funding and broader defense supplemental requests could also be pushed back. Agriculture policy is another likely casualty. The farm bill remains unsettled, with Senate action already uncertain and many observers expecting final movement to slip until after the midterms. A prolonged standoff over the elections bill would make that timetable even tighter. The broader backlog also includes nominations and other bipartisan business that leaders had hoped to clear before senators leave Washington. In practical terms, spending scarce floor time on a bill that lacks the votes could crowd out items that are either must-pass, deadline-driven or still have a plausible bipartisan path.

3 articles · Updated · POLITICO · Jul 27

John Thune said he sees no clear path to results from canceling the Senate recess, warning the chamber could be stuck in endless quorum calls instead of advancing Trump's demands.
Trump is pressing Republicans to stay in session and pass a budget blueprint before leaving town, aiming to unlock a $95 billion party-line spending bill that would include some election-related funding.
Senate Republicans broadly back the SAVE America Act but many still oppose scrapping the 60-vote filibuster, leaving leaders wary of exposing that split to conservative activists and the party base.
99 days before the midterms, John Cornyn warned that overpromising and then failing could hurt Republicans politically, while party leaders want senators back home to campaign amid White House messaging problems.