Trump and Senate Republicans reached a deal Friday night to delay the budget vote until after the August recess, ending weeks of tension over the president’s demand that lawmakers skip their summer break to pass the SAVE America Act, a voter identification bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, President Trump, and conservative senators Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and Rick Scott announced the agreement after a two-hour conference meeting, according to The Hill.
Under the deal, Senate Republicans agreed to postpone a vote on a budget resolution—the blueprint for a reconciliation bill—until after the five-week recess that begins this weekend and runs through September 14. They will, however, vote immediately on a narrower element of the SAVE America Act: Senator Jon Husted’s proposal to require voters to show photo identification in federal elections, a key provision that has stalled for months.
Trump had escalated pressure on Senate Republicans starting in late July, demanding that Thune cancel the August recess entirely until the full SAVE America Act—which would require proof of citizenship to vote—passed the chamber. Nearly two dozen Republican senators, including Lee and Scott, had backed his call to delay the break. But the strategy faced a fundamental obstacle: the Senate lacked the votes to pass the legislation.
Johnson acknowledged the political reality during his statement to reporters. “There was a concern whether or not it could actually pass, the budget resolution, tonight,” he said, according to The Hill. He noted that some colleagues wanted substantially more funding for the Pentagon than the $73 billion proposed in the House-passed budget resolution. “When the finest among us are in harm’s way, is it really enough?” Johnson said, explaining that Trump agreed to postpone the vote and “work diligently through August and September to do an actually better budget reconciliation bill.”
The deal represents a compromise between Trump’s demands and the Senate GOP’s legislative constraints. Democrats have repeatedly blocked the full SAVE America Act, defeating a standalone voter ID amendment 53-47 when Senator Husted offered it in March. The Senate has voted five times on the SAVE America Act or major elements of it without securing the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, and Republicans have said they lack the votes to abolish the filibuster to pass election reform legislation unilaterally.
Mike Lee acknowledged the limits of conservative leverage. “Of course” he was disappointed the full act would not pass soon, he told reporters, but “we’re not in a position right now where we have the wherewithal to pass it right now.” The photo ID vote, he said, would “give us some indication of where we stand” and put Democrats on record on an issue they have claimed to support. “We’ve got many Democrats who’ve said, ‘I’m just fine with voter ID,'” Lee said. “We’re going to find out where they are on that.”
The agreement also allows the Senate to depart for recess as scheduled, clearing a major legislative logjam. Before leaving, Republicans plan to vote on a continuing resolution to fund the government through December 11 and to confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general. Johnson told reporters that Trump “signed off on the plan” and was “in total agreement” with the deal.
Sources
- The Hill — Senate Republicans’ deal with Trump to delay budget vote and SAVE America Act until after August recess, including quotes from Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, and details on the compromise.
- PBS NewsHour — Trump’s initial demand that Senate cancel August recess until SAVE America Act passes.
- Politico — Senate Republicans’ plan to vote on budget resolution before recess and its expected failure.
