A group of Republican senators who intended to force a vote to delay the August recess in order to advance the SAVE America Act did not secure enough support from their colleagues to hold a roll call vote, according to a source familiar with the matter who spoke to the Daily Caller News Foundation (DCNF).

Senator Mike Lee pushed for a vote on whether to adjourn but ultimately accepted a voice vote that did not require senators to formally register their positions. Senate Republicans fell short of the 20 senators needed to second the motion for a roll call vote, a threshold that can vary but is typically 11 votes.

Lee explained that leadership agreed to a voice vote contingent on his agreement to vote on "critical items" on the Senate floor. He noted that the recess was part of a unanimous consent agreement that also allowed votes on other measures, including the Blanche nomination, the continuing resolution (CR), and a voter ID bill. Senate GOP leadership warned that without such an agreement, scheduling individual votes could take weeks, and some members would begin leaving within 24 hours, making it impossible to complete legislative work.

Republican Wisconsin Senator Scott mentioned on Saturday that he, Lee, and another Republican senator were involved in the discussions. Senator John Kennedy expressed on X that he did not support postponing the budget resolution but worked to get Leader Thune to agree to bring it up to move forward on the SAVE America Act.

Leader Thune told the DCNF, "For me, it’s all about show me a path to passage. What’s your picture of victory at the end on this? Because if the end game is we actually get an outcome or a result, we could stay here till Christmas."

Sources