President Donald Trump demanded Monday that the Senate stay in Washington through its five-week August recess until it passes the SAVE America Act. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who controls the floor calendar, spent the afternoon explaining why he is unlikely to do it.

Trump’s demand came in a social media post urging Thune to keep the chamber open until it passes the bill or, in his preferred alternative, eliminates the legislative filibuster entirely. Thune, the South Dakota Republican, responded by asking supporters to show him a route to actually passing it: “If I thought there was a path to getting a result, I’m all for it,” he said, then counted off on his fingers that the Senate has voted on the measure five times.

He was blunter about the arithmetic elsewhere, telling reporters the chamber could remain in session until Christmas without Democrats supplying votes and without Republicans abandoning the filibuster.

What the bill does

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE America Act, would require proof of United States citizenship to register to vote and photo identification at the ballot box, along with other provisions.

It has stalled against the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Thune has declined to change Senate rules or remove the parliamentarian to route the measure through reconciliation, a process restricted to budget matters. Beyond unanimous Democratic opposition, Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina oppose the bill.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York restated his position Monday, writing that the measure is dead on arrival and will not pass.

The pressure inside the conference

Trump is not the only one pushing. Senators Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida and Ashley Moody of Florida have said they will object to adjourning for the recess unless the bill passes — though such objections can be overridden if 60 senators vote to leave. Senator Darline Graham of South Carolina said she would remain in Washington as long as necessary.

Tension between the White House and Thune has been building; press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week that the president’s patience with the majority leader was running out, prompting Thune to suggest the White House direct its energy at Democrats blocking the bill and at Republicans not yet committed.

Why August matters in a midterm year

The recess is not merely a vacation. In a midterm year it is the window incumbents use to campaign, and Senate Republicans face difficult races in Maine, Alaska and Ohio as they defend their majority. Thune acknowledged Monday that colleagues including Susan Collins, Dan Sullivan and Jon Husted could benefit from time at home ahead of the November 3 election.

The Senate is scheduled to depart August 6 and return September 14. The House left July 23.

Republicans want to campaign on last year’s tax package but are contending with the war in Iran and affordability pressures.

What businesses should actually watch

The voter ID fight is unlikely to change any business’s operating conditions. The calendar around it might.

Every hour the Senate spends on a bill that has already failed five times is an hour not spent on appropriations. When the chamber returns September 14, it will have roughly two weeks of floor time before the end of the federal fiscal year — the deadline that determines whether federal contracts, permitting offices, small-business loan processing and payment approvals keep running on schedule.

For tri-state firms with federal contracts, SBA loans in the pipeline, or permits pending before federal agencies, that September compression is the practical consequence of an August fight. It is worth building a contingency into fourth-quarter cash flow assumptions now rather than in late September.

Thune said conversations would continue over the coming days. The likeliest outcome remains that the Senate leaves on schedule, the bill remains where it has been all year, and the calendar problem lands in the fall.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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