President Donald Trump on Monday demanded Senate Majority Leader John Thune cancel the chamber’s upcoming August break until senators pass a strict proof-of-citizenship voting bill, intensifying a fight with Republican leaders who lack the votes to advance the legislation.
Trump has repeatedly urged Thune to scrap the legislative filibuster, which effectively sets a 60-vote threshold for most legislation in the 100-member Senate, or find another workaround to pass the voting bill known as the SAVE America Act. Republicans hold only a 53-47 majority, and Thune has consistently said they do not have the votes to pass the bill or change the rules to bypass the filibuster.
“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. He later told reporters he has a good relationship with the majority leader but said Thune has “got to get his job done.”
The SAVE America Act, which stands for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, would require Americans to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, mostly through a valid U.S. passport or birth certificate. It would also require a valid photo identification before voters can cast ballots, which some states already mandate.
Voting experts have said the bill could disenfranchise roughly 20 million American voters who do not have birth certificates or other documents readily available. Trump has made the legislation his top domestic priority in 2026, saying it would “guarantee the midterms” and falsely claiming that election cheating is rampant.
The House last week approved a budget framework that included 0 billion for voting-related changes aligned with the SAVE America Act. But Thune has said Republicans do not currently have the votes for that approach either, leaving the path to passage uncertain.
The dispute threatens to complicate the Senate’s final legislative sprint before the August break, scheduled to start on Aug. 7. Thune had hoped to focus on government funding, cryptocurrency legislation and Russia sanctions. The recess period is a pivotal stretch for senators to return home and campaign ahead of the November midterm elections.
Several Republican senators facing competitive races, including Maine Sen. Susan Collins, Ohio Sen. Jon Husted and Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan, now find themselves caught between a demanding president and the reality of a divided conference. Republicans confront broader political headwinds as well, including an unpopular military engagement in Iran, surging gas prices and persistent cost pressures on voters.
Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who has led the push for the bill in the Senate, escalated pressure late last week, warning that how Republicans handle the SAVE America Act “could impact not only the November midterm elections, but also the Senate GOP leadership elections.”
Thune has urged Trump, Lee and other backers to help him find the votes. Trump on Friday said he would “certainly be willing” to help call senators. Asked whether Trump is frustrated with Thune, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that “his patience is running out.”
But Trump told reporters on Air Force One Monday that he has not “even thought” about potential replacements for Thune, suggesting the confrontation has not yet reached a breaking point. The late-summer dispute echoes a similar fight before last year’s August recess, when Trump pressed Thune to keep senators in Washington to clear a backlog of his nominees. The Senate ultimately left town without a deal after negotiations with Democrats collapsed.
Senate Democrats have uniformly opposed the SAVE America Act, calling it a voter suppression measure. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has vowed to block the legislation, arguing it would disenfranchise millions of eligible Americans.
Author: Pulse Of Nations Wire Desk
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