Tipsheet

These Senators Are Revolting Against Thune’s Summer Recess Plan

Jeff Charles
Jeff Charles  |  July 28, 2026 11:30 AM

A group of Republican senators and President Donald Trump are pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to cancel the chamber’s planned August recess so lawmakers can stay in Washington and pass the SAVE America Act. 

The effort heated up this week as at least seven GOP senators publicly vowed to object to adjournment until the bill advances.

The SAVE America Act has stalled in the Senate for months because it requires 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Democrats uniformly oppose the measure, and several Republicans have also declined to support changing the rules to pass the legislation. 

Thune told reporters Monday he was not ruling out a delay or partial cancellation of the recess, but would only do so if progress is possible. “If somebody can show me how we get an outcome, how we get a result, how we get an answer to this, I’m all for it,” he said. “But if we are going to be sitting here in endless quorum calls, I don’t know if that’s in everybody’s best interest.” 

He added that the Senate “could stay here till Christmas” without changing the vote count.

If passed, the SAVE America Act would require individuals to present documentary proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote in federal elections. It would also mandate that voters show a valid photo identification before casting a ballot in those elections. The bill further directs states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls and share registration data with federal agencies to verify eligibility.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) posted: “.@LeaderJohnThune, 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. Do not assume you have my consent. You do not.” 

Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) concurred: “I stand with @basedmikelee. I will vote to stay in session unless we have passed the SAVE America Act. The American people expect us to deliver. They deserve secure elections.” 

Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) stated: “I didn’t come to the United States Senate because I needed something to do. I’m serving because there are things we need to get done for the American People. The Senate needs to stay in session until we can get the SAVE America Act to the floor and passed.” 

Several others also made their opinions known:

President Trump chimed in on Truth Social, “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, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep-throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929.”

The recess is scheduled to start on August 7 and continue until mid-September. Thune argued that Republican senators facing competitive races need time to campaign back in their home states.

A single senator could force a recorded vote on the measure, but it would only take a simple majority to approve the recess. This means that Republican senators would risk the ire of their conservative-leaning constituents if they vote in favor of adjourning instead of working harder to pass the legislation.