The Senate has had a break for around two weeks now, punctuated only by a few short “pro forma” sessions. Essentially, these are just quick gatherings where, well, not much really happens. Since senators wrapped up their work for the lengthy recess at 4:57 a.m. ET on August 8, they’ve only met for those brief moments when just a handful of them are in attendance.
The real return for actual discussions and voting won’t happen until the afternoon of Monday, September 15.
Now, for a moment—let’s reflect on all that fuss about “cancelling the August recess.” Remember when President Trump and some conservative senators, like Mike Lee from Utah and Rick Scott from Florida, argued for keeping the Senate in session throughout August? They wanted to push the SAVE America Act, which is a significant legislative priority for Trump that aims to introduce voter ID requirements and proof of citizenship for voting.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who was present when the Senate went on break, hasn’t exactly picked a fight with his fellow Republicans to keep the Senate open in the dead of night.
It’s a bit surprising to note that even those Republicans who might have preferred a longer stay in Washington were on board with Thune’s plan to allow the Senate to take five weeks off. Yes, all 100 senators actually agreed to it. That’s how it was able to happen.
A little background here: the Senate was convening around 2:07 a.m. that Saturday—just before a series of votes on confirming Attorney General Todd Blanche and addressing a sanctions bill against Russia. Thune then suggested the Senate meet for pro forma sessions only at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 10, and again on some select dates in the following weeks.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, who was presiding at the time, asked the Senate body if anyone had objections. And there were none.
So, essentially, the Senate wouldn’t conduct any debates over the SAVE America Act in August. The meeting would consist of shortened sessions for the next few weeks instead.
Later, just before 5 a.m., Thune made another request regarding when the Senate would adjourn. He mentioned a few typical procedural details to set up a vote on cryptocurrency regulation for the following week. Senator Cynthia Lummis, who was also presiding late into the night, nearly nodded off while saying, “Without objection” at that point. It was late, after all.
The chamber had nearly emptied; only Thune and Lummis remained. They were all headed for the airport, it seems.
So, what really happened here? A lot of Senate decisions come down to what’s called “unanimous consent.” It’s how they manage daily operations smoothly—basically, if everyone agrees, things get done quicker. If even one senator disagrees, that complicates everything.
Interestingly, despite some Republican senators pushing for discussions to continue in August, no one objected at the time. Thune had already prepared a series of unanimous consent requests in advance—a smart move on his part. Late on August 7, he ran what’s like a preliminary check (a “hotline”) to see if anyone had issues with his suggested course for Senate business. If no one voiced a complaint, he’d take those requests to the floor the next day, which he did.
This plan included the previously mentioned pro forma sessions and waiting until September 14 for any votes. He secured a test vote on a voter ID bill proposed by Sen. Jon Husted from Ohio, which was clearly part of meeting Trump’s demands. Interestingly, every Republican backed this vote while all Democrats opposed it. Republican senators may end up using that vote as a political point in the upcoming fall elections.
However, despite securing majority support, the voter ID bill faced a 60-vote requirement to proceed. With only 53 Republicans in the Senate, it was a tall order without any Democratic help.
In summary, the Senate is effectively on break for the next few weeks. This hasn’t come about because of any underhanded dealings by Thune or a disregard for conservative wishes to keep deliberating. In fact, these unanimous consent agreements reflected the consensus of all senators. Anyone could have raised an objection but didn’t.
So, if someone asks why the Senate didn’t stay in session this month to address the SAVE America Act, you can tell them: all 100 senators agreed to go home when the clock struck 4:57 a.m. on August 8.
