Senate Republicans Stall, Ignoring SAVE America Act and Budget Needs
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Senate Republicans adjourned for the summer without passing the controversial SAVE America Act or a budget reconciliation bill, disregarding urgent calls from President Trump and party leaders, and leaving critical legislation on hold.
On Saturday, Senate Republicans abandoned Washington without even voting on the SAVE America Act, a so-called 'voter-integrity' measure aggressively pushed by President Donald Trump, or on a budget reconciliation bill that would have allowed Republicans to sidestep a Democratic filibuster.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) insisted the legislation is still a priority, stating, 'We’re not dropping SAVE. It’s a matter of time.' Yet, the Senate will not reconvene until the third week of September, after which it will be bogged down by pending bills on cryptocurrency and college-sports funding before another recess in October for the midterm campaign season.
Meanwhile, a separate attempt to pass a $150 billion budget blueprint, drafted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), was derailed after Trump himself questioned its viability. Johnson later claimed Trump agreed the party should spend August and September crafting a more hardline reconciliation proposal.
Majority Leader John Thune suggested Republicans might try another reconciliation bill to funnel more money into defense and sneak in parts of the SAVE America Act, but refused to commit to any real timeline.
During the same session, the Senate did manage to approve a short-term funding extension through early December, a sanctions package targeting Russia, and confirmed Todd Blanche as acting Attorney General. Democrats successfully blocked a restrictive voter-ID bill from Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), while legislation on cryptocurrency regulation and fair compensation for college athletes remains stalled.