Mike Lee

Senator Mike Lee, the Utah Republican leading efforts to delay the chamber's annual August recess, pushed back Tuesday on his colleagues' dismissal of his pursuit.

Lee and a group of his conservative coworkers have urged Majority Leader John Thune to keep the Senate in session to pass the SAVE America Act, which contains President Donald Trump's demanded voting restrictions. Thune has reacted coolly to the proposal, which he said Monday would do little to advance the stalled bill.

"Some may continue to attack the idea of keeping the Senate in session in August to debate the SAVE America Act, describing it as a recipe for failure and frustration," Lee said in a statement. "Some may even try to make that warning a self-fulfilling prophecy. It need not (and I believe will not) end in failure if we follow the simple approach I’ve outlined, informed by centuries of Senate custom and practice."

Lee has suggested Senate Republicans force Democrats into using the talking filibuster, through which the minority must hold the floor to continue obstructing, to exhaust opposition to the bill. The lengthy process could cost the GOP valuable time, however, that it could otherwise use to advance initiatives with a greater chance of success.

“Show me how this ends," Thune told reporters. "What’s the picture of victory at the end?”