Senate Republicans aim to dedicate August to consolidating their majority and targeting Democrats, but Donald Trump might have a different agenda.
The GOP is eager to move past a prolonged internal dispute over Trump’s top priority after senators departed early Saturday without advancing his election security bill. The Republicans lack the necessary votes to pass the SAVE America Act and have opted to delay a framework for a third party-line spending bill that incorporates parts of the measure rather than face a failed vote.
It remains uncertain whether Trump will accept this reasoning.
Some Republicans are bracing for the unpredictable president’s long-standing fixation on the election measure to reemerge during the five-week recess, potentially agitating the party’s base just as GOP senators need these voters to turn out.
“That would be consistent with his approach,” commented Sen. Mike Rounds regarding the possibility that Trump might spend August criticizing Republicans for not passing the GOP election overhaul.
However, the South Dakota Republican also noted, “we also know the votes aren’t there.”
Conservatives claim that the Senate’s actions over the weekend, allegedly approved by Trump, likely delay a third GOP spending bill until after the November election.
Instead of revisiting the SAVE America Act, which some Senate Republicans oppose due to its restrictions on mail-in voting, Majority Leader John Thune initiated a vote on a simpler voter ID bill proposed by Sen. Jon Husted of Ohio, which gained unanimous GOP support.
Senate conservatives, including Utah Sen. Mike Lee, have pledged to renew their fight for the GOP bill when the chamber reconvenes.
Privately, some GOP senators feel their current actions may not satisfy Trump, given his persistent focus on the measure that has disrupted congressional business in both the House and Senate throughout the year.
One GOP senator, granted anonymity to speak freely, indicated that Thune proposed the voter ID bill vote, believing it would appease the president. “I think he’s wrong,” the senator remarked, adding that Senate Republicans were “not factoring in the president’s reaction.”
When asked if the Senate’s actions on the narrower voting bill would satisfy Trump, Thune stated in an interview, “good question, but I think if they want votes, we’ll try and get votes,” while noting, “I can’t guarantee outcomes.”
Trump and his allies’ relentless focus on a bill lacking sufficient votes for passage has frustrated Senate Republicans. Some see Trump’s interest in the election bill as an indirect attempt to eliminate the filibuster, which many Republicans oppose.
“At the end of the day, all Republicans need to start getting satisfied with everybody pretty quickly, so that we can get the voters to be satisfied with us, and we maintain our majority at least in the Senate,” said Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) when questioned about Trump.
He further commented, “I hear what the administration is saying. I look at political data almost every day of the week. …I don’t see [the SAVE America Act] as one of the major factors that are going to get out to the polls.”
Last week, Senate Republicans suggested to Vice President JD Vance during a closed-door lunch that he could communicate their budget resolution challenges and other pre-August priorities to the president. However, Vance advised that they should address the president directly.
The following day, Senate conservatives met with Trump, who, according to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), approved postponing a budget resolution vote to the fall rather than risking a failed vote before leaving.
Such a vote could have also targeted GOP senators who opposed it and potentially further angered Trump, who has expressed dissatisfaction with the Senate GOP’s failure to pass the elections measure.
“We’re in total agreement. There was no argument about it. …He would like a better reconciliation bill. That will take more time, so he was completely supportive,” Johnson said regarding the conversation with the president.
Thune, when asked about the conservatives’ discussion with Trump, added, “I think everybody for the most part is on the same page.”
However, Johnson’s meeting with Trump, Lee, and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida followed the Wisconsin senator’s admission to reporters that Trump “probably wouldn’t like that too much” if Republicans left without advancing a budget resolution. “Nor would I,” Johnson added. “Nor would a lot of people who support us.”
