Overview
- This week, the president used an overnight social-media post to delay Jay Clayton’s confirmation hearing for national intelligence director just hours before it was to begin, upending Senate scheduling and angering Republican leaders.
- Trump has publicly pressed Senate Republicans to scrap the filibuster and pass the SAVE America Act, a hard-line voting measure that Senate Majority Leader John Thune says lacks the necessary votes and has prompted him to rebuke colleagues who fan dissension.
- The president also conditioned signature or renewal of a key surveillance and spying law on unrelated concessions, a demand that further stalled routine legislation and intensified tensions with senators who view the law as a priority.
- Republican hawks sharply criticized Trump’s sudden shift on a U.S.-Iran ceasefire proposal this week, with Sen. Bill Cassidy calling the deal a major foreign-policy mistake and other GOP senators voicing public concern.
- The rift has narrowed Trump’s pool of reliable Senate allies, left confirmations and floor work slowed, and raised political risk for vulnerable Republicans as they prepare for the November midterms.