Overview
- Trump has publicly pushed Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate in session and to eliminate the legislative filibuster to pass the SAVE America Act, and he questioned this week whether Thune should remain the party’s leader.
- Thune and a substantial bloc of Senate Republicans say the votes do not exist to kill the filibuster or pass the SAVE Act on party lines, noting Senate rules require 60 votes to advance most legislation and Republicans hold 53 seats.
- At least 14 Republican senators have urged canceling the August recess to force votes on SAVE, but leaders warn staying in session would likely produce repeated failed cloture votes and cost swing‑state incumbents valuable campaign time.
- The White House deployed Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to lobby Senate leaders and discussed reconciliation as an alternative, but that path faces limits from the Senate parliamentarian and the Byrd Rule on what provisions can be included.
- A related flashpoint: senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis have stalled the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general pending written concessions, a move that demonstrates growing GOP willingness to use nominations as leverage in the dispute.