Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) are in the final stages of negotiating a deal to keep the government funded and allow senators to leave for the August recess, but the effort is complicated by pressure from President Trump’s allies who want to pile up more legislative victories before the break.
Thune’s immediate priorities are to confirm a package of 74 Trump nominees and pass a continuing resolution that would fund the government through December 11, avoiding a shutdown before the midterm elections. He is also pushing to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general, but has yet to secure the support of two key Republican holdouts: Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska).
Democrats have signaled they are willing to speed up floor votes on those top items if Republicans agree to shelve several other bills they had hoped to advance, according to senators familiar with the endgame maneuvering. Specifically, Democrats want to avoid votes before the recess on the Clarity Act—a sweeping market structure reform favored by the crypto industry—and a budget resolution that would set up a third reconciliation package to fund the war in Iran and impose new voter ID rules.
Also in the mix are a bipartisan Russia sanctions bill and the Protect College Sports Act, which would reform eligibility and compensation for college athletes. However, senators in both parties are pushing for amendment votes on those measures, which could delay their completion before the recess.
Vice President Vance met with GOP senators at lunch Thursday and reiterated that Trump wants the Senate to pass both a funding bill and a budget resolution before leaving, according to attendees. Much of the discussion, however, focused on the military conflict with Iran and negotiations to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Senators emerged with little clarity on how much longer they would be in Washington.
“I’m confused,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). “I don’t know what we’re going to do and if we do anything, when we’re going to do it.” Kennedy said he is fairly confident the Senate will pass the CR, but warned that if Democrats refuse to yield procedural time, the chamber could be working through the weekend and into next week, the first week of the recess. “Listening to our staff who know the rules, my best guess is to get all of our business done would take working all this weekend and all next week,” he said.
One GOP senator has already asked staff to cancel flights and backup flights home, anticipating votes Friday and possibly through the weekend. Some conservatives, led by Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), continue to push for a lengthy floor debate and a marathon series of votes on a budget resolution before leaving. “I think we should vote,” Johnson said. Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) echoed that hope: “It’s only a matter of time before we pass the CR and hopefully we can get the votes to pass the budget, too.”
But the budget resolution is facing strong pushback from other Republicans. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) warned colleagues that any budget resolution needed for a third reconciliation bill would involve as many as 11 committees, forcing tough votes on a range of sensitive issues. A second GOP senator, speaking anonymously, said the resolution would not have 50 Republican votes to advance. Thune has publicly doubted he can find the votes to proceed to a budget debate.
With that in mind, some Republicans are looking instead at voting on a House-passed bill to ban members of Congress from trading stocks, which also includes a requirement that voters show photo ID in federal elections. That measure, the Stop Insider Trading Act, passed the House 232-198 last month. Democrats are likely to resist the voter ID provision, but the bill could serve as a vehicle for Republicans to claim another win before heading home.
The Senate GOP’s internal clashes over budget, hemp, and athlete pay have complicated Thune’s plan, and the scramble for an August exit strategy that avoids Trump’s wrath continues. Meanwhile, a deal on government funding through December appears within reach, but the path to the recess remains uncertain.
