Senate Republicans are finding that a bipartisan effort to regulate college athlete compensation has turned into the main roadblock preventing the chamber from finishing its pre-recess agenda, which includes averting a government shutdown, confirming Todd Blanche as attorney general, and heading out for a five-week August break.
At a closed-door GOP lunch on Friday, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) described the so-called NIL bill — legislation setting national standards for how college athletes can profit from their name, image, and likeness — as the "chokepoint" in negotiations over the end-of-month legislative package, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
A senior Senate GOP aide said there is broad agreement to hold votes on most of Majority Leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) priority items, but roughly ten senators have placed holds on the college sports measure, complicating the path forward.
On Friday afternoon, GOP leaders circulated a "hotline" — a procedural tool to gauge unanimous consent — proposing a series of votes: an amendment to the continuing resolution to strip out a controversial hemp provision, passage of the CR itself, confirmation of Blanche, and a motion to proceed to the college sports bill. If that motion succeeds, the Senate would then vote on the underlying bill.
The proposed package also includes a test vote on a budget resolution expected to fail, and a vote on a measure by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) that would require photo identification for federal elections.
Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has been pressing for a vote on the NIL bill before the recess, but resistance from both sides of the aisle could derail the sequencing deal. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) said the regulations are "complicated" and that he would prefer more time to review the measure. "It's complicated, there are a lot of pieces to this. I'm OK with waiting," Warnock said.
Warnock had earlier this week held up action on a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill until he received assurances from U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer regarding guardrails on President Trump's expanded tariff authority.
Thune acknowledged that resolving the NIL standoff is essential to closing out the Senate's work. "NIL is an issue that we got to get better clarity on to lock down an agreement. It's part of the endgame," he said.
The impasse comes as the Senate races to clear its agenda before the August recess, with leaders trying to avoid a messy shutdown and a delayed confirmation for Blanche. The Blanche nomination has already wobbled, and adding the NIL fight only complicates the end-of-session math.
Some GOP senators are also threatening to hold up the recess over voter ID and spending bills, further straining the schedule. Meanwhile, outside groups are lobbying on the NIL bill, with concerns about sportsbook tactics adding another layer to the debate.
