President Donald Trump said Monday that Senate Majority Leader John Thune should keep the Senate in session until his signature voting legislation clears the upper chamber — something he’s been repeatedly told is dead on arrival.
“John Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER” the president posted on Truth Social.
Trump has been relentless in calling on the Senate to pass the Republican-backed election bill that would require people registering to vote in federal elections to show proof of U.S. citizenship.
But Thune and other Republican senators have said they simply don’t have the votes, leaving them at an impasse with the White House. While many Republicans support the bill, some — including Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — have voted against the measure, saying they were concerned it could disenfranchise eligible voters and strip states of their right to administer elections.
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Trump also said that terminating the filibuster — another no-go in the Senate — would allow it to address the “looming debt ceiling.”
Some senators have called to cancel the recess to pass the election bill.
“I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August—at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act—and hereby request a roll call vote,” Sen. Mike Lee of Utah posted on X on Sunday.
He suggested he would attempt to block the recess, which would require a simple majority of those present to agree.
Sen. Rick Scott of Florida replied to Lee to say he supported the effort.
“I will vote to stay in session unless we have passed the SAVE America Act,” he wrote on X.
Sens. Ashley Moody of Florida and Jim Banks of Indiana similarly called for the Senate to stay in session until the SAVE Act is passed.
Newly sworn-in Sen. Darline Graham of South Carolina agreed with Trump on Monday.
“The SAVE America Act is top priority. I will stay here as long as necessary to get it passed and signed into law,” Graham wrote on X.
This article has been updated with comments from Sen. Darline Graham.
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