Welcome to Washington: Senate Republicans’ Perilous Two Weeks

Senate Republicans on Monday will return for their penultimate week of legislating before heading home for a five-week recess. The Republican leader in the upper chamber, Senator John Thune, says he is focused on a host of bipartisan issues rather than the president’s demand that the Senate take up the SAVE America Act. The question is: can Republicans plow ahead with a bipartisan agenda without drawing more of President Trump’s ire?Welcome to Washington, where the House has officially left town for their own five-week break. Before leaving, Speaker Mike Johnson was able to get a list of top priorities across the floor. They include a government funding bill, a budget resolution to tee up a third reconciliation bill, and the National Defense Authorization Act. Mr. Thune, meanwhile, is trying to run through the tape on his own agenda. Speaking to reporters this past week, he allowed that he is hoping to confirm both the president’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence, Jay Clayton, and his nominee to lead the Justice Department, deputy attorney general Todd Blanche. Beyond that, Mr. Thune is hoping to pass his own versions of the defense bill and a government funding bill, as well as pieces of legislation aimed at imposing sanctions on Russia and establishing new regulations for digital assets. “There is no shortage of opportunities for bipartisan legislating in the weeks ahead,” he told reporters at a press conference. The problem for the majority leader is that Mr. Trump has said he has no interest in getting any bipartisan work done before the SAVE America Act becomes law. The bill would require proof of citizenship and presentation of photo ID before casting a ballot. All Senate Republicans except two support that bill. The problem for Mr. Trump, however, is the 60-vote threshold the Senate must clear in order to end debate. Just this past week, Mr. Trump has ratcheted up his pressure campaign against Mr. Thune. The two have long had a cordial, productive relationship, though the president’s demand for absolute obeisance has strained that relationship. Mr. Trump successfully ended the careers of two of Mr. Thune’s friends and colleagues — Senators Bill Cassidy and John Cornyn — by endorsing primary challengers to the two men. At a rally in Georgia, Mr. Trump told his supporters to call Mr. Thune’s office on Capitol Hill to urge him to push for the SAVE America Act. That would require either the abolition of the filibuster or the use of a “talking filibuster” to force Democrats to hold the floor in opposition to the bill. The vast majority of Republican senators oppose both of those strategic moves. Then, just days later, the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, made a comment about Mr. Trump’s attitude that caught many off-guard. “His patience is running out,” Ms. Leavitt told reporters at a briefing this week. “He wants to see as much of the SAVE America [Act] as possible by the August recess.”Mr. Thune was quick to shoot back, telling reporters the same day that if the White House wanted to see the bill passed, then they should start making their own calls. “Maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes, right?” Mr. Thune said after Ms. Leavitt’s remarks. Two of Mr. Thune’s Republican colleagues, Senators Mike Lee and Rick Scott, say they will object to Mr. Thune’s request at the end of next week to start the five-week recess. Unanimous consent requests to go on recess are usually a formality, with the majority leader making the motion in an empty chamber. If someone objects to that request, then a vote must be held to begin the recess. If Messrs. Lee and Scott stick by their pledge, then all Republican senators will have to go on the record on whether they want to head out on vacation without touching the SAVE America Act. Such a vote could prove decisive in Mr. Trump deciding whom, if anyone, to go after in the 2028 primaries. Some lawmakers who could draw the president’s wrath include Senators Rand Paul, Todd Young, John Hoeven, and Jerry Moran — all influential on key committees. Mr. Thune, too, will be up for re-election in 2028, meaning Mr. Trump will have ample opportunity to go after him, as well.

Welcome to Washington: Senate Republicans’ Perilous Two Weeks

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