The plan was simple. Senate Republicans were supposed to wrap up work and head home for their August break. That was the plan.
Reality hit hard Tuesday. The chamber is stuck. Key bills are blocked. The break might get cancelled.
Things got messy during a closed-door lunch. Sen. John Kennedy walked out and called it a "worthless meeting." He told reporters the truth. "I have no idea. Don't know what we're doing," Kennedy said. He added that there might be a secret plan, but he isn't part of it. "I'm not saying that there's not a secret plan. … I'm just saying I don't know what it is."
This is not normal. The group has days left before the break. They need to fix government funding. They need to handle Iran war spending. They need to sort out crypto rules. They need to deal with Russia sanctions. The budget framework was barely discussed. The details are missing.
President Donald Trump wants the SAVE America Act passed. This bill requires proof of citizenship for voter registration. He wants John Thune to keep the Senate working until it passes. But the numbers are tough. Thune spoke to the president Tuesday. He pushed back on claims he is isolated. He then gave a blunt assessment of the situation.
"Some days, I'm the only one here who can count to 50 in this town," he remarked. Thune admitted they do not have the votes. They cannot get rid of the filibuster. They cannot flip ten Democrats to vote for the bill. More than a dozen other GOP senators say they will block the Senate from leaving town if the bill fails.
The budget fight is just as messy. The House passed a $95 billion framework. Senate Republicans cannot agree on changes to it. This is the third party-line reconciliation bill they hope to pass in Trump's second term. The proposal needs only a simple majority. It skirts the filibuster. Yet, the Senate Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson met with panel members on Tuesday. He was set to meet with Roger Wicker about defense spending that evening.
Sen. Tom Cotton and Sen. John Barasso were seen with Thune on Wednesday. They are facing a tough choice. "The ones that attended, I think we're all pretty much in agreement that we really do need to … pass a budget resolution before we leave town," one senator noted.
The final scheduled working days are clouded in uncertainty. The threat from Republicans to block their own adjournment is real. The August recess could go up in flames.
This is a failure of leadership. The people voted for results. They want secure borders and a balanced budget. Instead, they get confusion and stalled votes. You cannot run a government on "I don't know." The American family deserves better than a political gridlock that cancels summer plans while ignoring the nation's needs.
