Utah Sen. Mike Lee is demanding Republican leaders cancel the upcoming August recess, putting the party in a bind as it threatens a crucial period for vulnerable incumbents to campaign ahead of the midterm elections.
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In a flurry of social media posts over the weekend, Lee urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to delay or cancel the recess until the SAVE America Act is passed. The latest demand marks an escalation in Lee’s push to approve his proof-of-citizenship and voter ID legislation, which has stalled in the Senate due to the filibuster.
“(Thune), 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 said in a post. “Do not assume you have my consent. You do not.”
Lee promised to force a roll call vote on whether to adjourn for the monthlong recess, an unusual move as the Senate typically unanimously agrees to go out of session. It’s not yet clear how quickly he will force the vote, or if he will do it multiple times.
Thune told reporters on Monday that he was not “ruling it out” to delay or cancel part of the recess period — but only if there are “things we can actually get done.” Unless there is an obvious path forward for SAVE to pass during the recess period, Thune signaled that wouldn’t be enough to keep lawmakers in Washington.
“If somebody can show me how we get an outcome, how we get a result, how do we get an answer to this — I’m all for it,” Thune said. “But if we are going to be sitting here in endless quorum calls, I don’t know if that’s in the best interest.”
Not all Republican senators seem eager to stay in Washington for the August period. Utah Sen. John Curtis told the Deseret News he often gets more work done back home when he’s meeting with constituents than when lawmakers are dealing with stalled agendas on Capitol Hill.
“I understand from people’s perspective they want us here and working, but I also think it’s important to understand that we have a lot of responsibilities, and part of that is being in this state,” Curtis said.
“That’s a time when a lot of you can work on a lot of bills, moving things forward. I got more done on Fix Our Forest on Friday in Utah than I had here in Washington in a very long time,” he added, referring to his forest management legislation.
Canceled recess could threaten vulnerable incumbents ahead of midterms
Lee’s calls to cancel the annual August recess has garnered the support of at least six other Senate Republicans so far, making it unclear if a roll call vote would be successful. Any effort to delay the recess period would need at least 50 senators to vote in favor.
The August recess is slotted into the legislative calendar every year to give lawmakers an opportunity to return to their home states or districts to meet with constituents. It also gives incumbents up for reelection time to campaign — especially ahead of a tough election cycle like the upcoming November midterms.
The August recess has very rarely been tampered with in the modern congressional era. The last time the recess period was canceled was in 2018 when then-Leader Mitch McConnell kept senators in town to work on appropriations bills and nominees in President Donald Trump’s first term.
That decision was meant to squeeze Senate Democrats who sought to block Trump’s agenda but still wanted to return home to campaign before the midterms.
At that time, only one Senate Republican was running a tough reelection fight. Meanwhile, 10 Democrats were fighting for their political lives that cycle.
The stakes are far different for Republicans this time around. Three Senate Republicans are running in toss-up races this November compared to just one Democrat doing the same. There are a handful of other competitive races Democrats hope to win, making the campaign opportunities crucial.
“The only way to pass the SAVE America Act is to grow the majority,” said a Senate GOP leadership aide, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly.
Thune acknowledged that senators need to get home to campaign during the recess period, noting conversations are ongoing about the path forward. And those who are up for reelection don’t appear eager to stay in Washington.
“I think staying in doesn’t change what happens on the SAVE Act,” Sen. Susan Collins, running in one of the most competitive races this year, told reporters. “I don’t see how you get to 60 votes on it.”
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Lee, meanwhile, has argued the opposite — suggesting that by turning the Senate’s attention to the SAVE America Act, it would help Republicans win their respective midterm races.
“Working through weekends and recesses trying to pass the SAVE America Act would enhance the GOP’s odds of winning elections in November more than anything else,” Lee wrote in a social media post.
Senate GOP attendance strained by McConnell absence
Even if Republicans do manage to keep the Senate in town for recess, attendance will still prove to be an issue for the SAVE America Act.
The bill requires 60 senators to end the filibuster, meaning at least seven Democrats would have to side with all Republicans. Democrats have remained adamant not to do so.
Meanwhile, McConnell is not yet expected to return to the Senate as he recovers from a fall at his home in mid-June. With his prolonged absence, Republicans will need an additional vote to bypass the filibuster.
In a statement released on Monday, McConnell’s office said he is still not ready to return to in-person work as he continues “intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders.”
The Capitol physician also released a statement confirming the 84-year-old senator is “not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
“Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls,” the physician statement read.
Trump weighs in on the filibuster debate
Trump echoed Lee’s push to cancel recess in a Truth Social post on Monday and renewed his demands to eliminate the 60-vote filibuster. Trump has urged Republicans for months to dismantle the filibuster procedure, something Thune has repeatedly said lacks the support needed to succeed.
“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 wrote. “The Dumocrats will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership.”
Thune has repeatedly stressed that the SAVE America Act lacks the 60 votes needed to succeed, and there is not the support necessary to eliminate the filibuster either. Staying in recess, he has argued, wouldn’t alter the math.
“This is not an open question,” he said. “It’s just a fact, and the facts don’t change. Now, if (Trump) can change the facts and start moving some of those senators who are no’s into yeses, then we have a different conversation. But that’s just the reality.”
But Trump’s post is the latest in a string of attacks lobbed at Thune by fellow Republicans on social media and in the president’s orbit demanding he do more to pass the SAVE America Act. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned last week that “patience is running out” for the top Senate Republican.
Thune shot back on Thursday by encouraging the White House to step in, arguing Democrats are the ones blocking the bill rather than him.
“Instead of, you know, pointing the finger at Republicans, they might think about going after the people who are stopping it on the floor, which is the Democrats,” Thune told reporters. “And if there are Republicans that they think are gettable, get on the phone. Let’s get them to (a) yes.”
Trump later appeared to tamp down concerns of a strained relationship between the two, telling reporters on Monday: “I have a good relationship with John Thune, he’s just gotta get his job done.”
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