Trump is pressuring Thune to rescind the August recess over the SAVE America Act
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President Donald Trump doesn't want the Senate to leave town with his primary election protections on the line.
It's less than two weeks until the upper house leaves Washington, DC, and the agenda is already full of important things, from blockbuster confirmations to the long-awaited sanctions package against Russia.
But there is only one important piece of legislation for Trump: the SAVE America Act. And despite the reality of politics in the Senate, the president wants the bill passed by any means necessary.
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Congressional Republicans, President Donald Trump and the GOP base want voter ID to become law, but one obstacle stands in the way: the political reality of the Senate. (Leon Neal/Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to 'go out of town' until it passes the Save America Act or, better yet, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, when the Republicans can quickly pass everything they've ever dreamed of, including a full and deep SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ongoing Debt Ceiling disaster,” Trump, 1929.
“The Democrats will do it on the first day and they can't believe how lucky they are with this leadership of the Senate,” he continued. “Remember, foolishness always brings LOSS AND DEATH!”
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While Congress's annual August recess is often viewed outside the Beltway as a vacation time for lawmakers, during the midterm election year, it allows valuable hours on the road so that incumbents have time to face voters and make room to retain their seats.
Republicans are hungry to campaign and sell their agenda, especially last year's tax cut package, Trump's “one big, good bill” but they are facing the headwinds of the Iran war and affordability problems.
And there are three races on the 2026 map that are troubling the Senate GOP in its bid to retain its majority: Maine, Alaska and Ohio.
Still, Trump has warned that unless the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, they will face consequences at the ballot box, and he has been calling for an end to the filibuster on many of his priorities, but no votes will happen in the upper chamber.
TRUMP'S PATIENCE IS 'RUNNING OUT' AS THUNE HITS BACK ON DEFAULT VOTER PROTECTION BILL
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, speaks during a news conference about the SAVE America Act at the US Capitol on March 19, 2026, in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
It comes as tensions between the White House and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., widen.
Last week, White House Press Secretary Caroline Leavitt warned that Trump's patience “has run out” with Thune on the law, prompting a senior Senate Republican to fire that the White House should focus its efforts on Democrats blocking the SAVE America Act and work on calls to get Republicans to vote “yes.”
Trump is also not alone in his push for Thune to cancel the upcoming break.
Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Ashley Moody, R-Fla., all announced their intention online to oppose Thune calling for a recess later this term.
“So I'm against any effort to stall the Senate in August — at least until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act — so I'm asking for a vote,” Lee told X.
“Don't think you have my permission,” he continued. “You don't say.”
Usually, recess or national recesses are a concession function in the Senate, meaning all lawmakers agree to skip town and go back to their states to do work on the floor. But one senator can challenge the Senate and force a vote to decide whether the upper chamber stays or goes.
Trump and the GOP trio's demands reach the Senate floor.
Thune has prioritized avoiding a government shutdown and is encouraging continued talks between Republicans and Democrats to reach a deal before the recess begins. He threatened to hold up the House-passed budget resolution, which would, among other things, establish a strong framework for passage of the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation.
All of this comes after he and other Republicans have made clear the political reality that the SAVE America Act, as written, does not have the votes to pass the upper chamber, either from the Democrats or the GOP.
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And whether the law, or a version of it, can survive the reconciliation process remains to be seen, as written, the SAVE America Act is primarily a policy and has no budget impact — a key requirement of the party line process.
“It could still be 60 votes, even if it's a budget resolution,” Thune told Fox News Digital. “Unless it's done, you know, it's designed to allow grants to learn that's based on profit, and it's mostly budget, not policy.”
