John Thune

President Donald Trump is pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to keep the Senate in session until it passes the “Save America Act,” while also urging him to end the filibuster.

Trump shared his position on Truth Social on Monday, writing, “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.”

Trump reiterated the push while heading to Michigan ahead of the state’s primary elections next week. “He’s just got to get his job done. You’ve got to get the Save America Act passed, or better than that would be the filibuster. If you terminate the filibuster, everything happens,” Trump said.

Thune reportedly reacted by signaling he is open to canceling the Senate’s upcoming recess if there is a realistic path to results, but he does not want to keep senators in Washington without a clear outcome. Thune reportedly said, “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 also reportedly said there will be conversations over the next few days about cutting the recess, though there are no guarantees he will sign off. The Senate is currently scheduled to enter its five-week recess on Aug. 6, with a planned return on Sept. 14.

A growing list of Republican lawmakers have publicly backed canceling the recess to focus on the bill. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah wrote on social media, “The Senate doesn’t need a summer vacation as much as the country needs the SAVE America Act.” Sen. Ashley Moody of Florida also chimed in, writing, “The Senate needs to stay in session until we can get the SAVE America Act to the floor and passed.”

Democrats argue the legislation would suppress voting. The Senate also lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, and Democrats have repeatedly said they will not support the bill, describing it as voter suppression that would disenfranchise millions of eligible American citizens.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Monday, “It’s a new week in Washington, but one thing remains the same: the SAVE Act is dead on arrival in the Senate.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., also criticized the legislation and accused Republicans of trying to manipulate upcoming elections. “We’ve got to stop them from jamming this voter suppression bill down the throats of the American people. Democrats have been strong in the House and in the Senate in holding the line,” Jeffries said over the weekend during an interview on MS Now.

The House has already left Washington, but it passed separate legislation that provides states funding for both ID and citizenship verification measures for federal elections.