“Give Them Permanent Vacation”: 11 RINO Senators Get Called Out for Choosing Vacation Over the SAVE America Act as Midterms Deadline Looms

Eleven Republican senators are facing accusations that they would rather leave Washington for a 37-day summer break than remain in session and pass the SAVE America Act. The criticism comes during the Senate’s final scheduled week before the August recess, with the chamber still lacking a clear plan to move President Donald Trump’s election integrity legislation. Trump has demanded that senators stay in Washington until the bill reaches his desk. Conservative activists are now warning that Republicans who vote to leave could receive a “permanent vacation” from voters.

The confrontation centers on Senate Majority Leader John Thune and a divided Republican conference that holds 53 seats but remains constrained by the chamber’s 60-vote legislative filibuster. Democrats have shown no willingness to provide the votes needed to advance the bill through regular order, while Thune has repeatedly said Republicans lack the internal support needed to change the rules. Trump and several GOP senators have responded by calling for the recess to be canceled, arguing that members should remain at work until every available path has been exhausted.

The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of United States citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and photo identification when casting a ballot. It would also require states to establish a process for identifying and removing noncitizens from voter rolls. Absentee voters would have to provide a copy of an eligible identification document when requesting and returning a ballot. Proponents of the bill say those requirements are basic safeguards to ensure that federal elections are restricted to American citizens.

The official congressional summary says acceptable proof could include a passport, citizenship-marked REAL ID, military documentation showing a United States birthplace, or certain government identification paired with a birth certificate or other supporting record. States would also be required to create an alternative process for eligible citizens who cannot immediately produce one of the listed documents. The bill provides criminal penalties for knowingly attempting to register unlawfully and allows certain election-law violations to be challenged in court.

Pressure to remain in Washington has grown beyond a small group of Senate conservatives. According to a July 31st report published by Sen. Jim Banks’ office, 14 Republican senators had either called for canceling recess or pledged to remain in Washington until the bill is addressed. Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Tommy Tuberville, Jim Banks, Ashley Moody, Marsha Blackburn, Roger Marshall, and Ted Cruz called for canceling the break. Darline Graham Nordone, Bill Hagerty, Katie Britt, Todd Young, Eric Schmitt, and Dave McCormick also expressed support for staying.

Sen. Mike Lee has threatened to deny the unanimous consent normally used to send the Senate into recess and force a recorded vote on whether members should leave. “I hereby object to any effort to put the Senate into recess in August—at least until such time as the Senate has passed the SAVE America Act—and hereby request a roll call vote,” Lee wrote. Scott backed him, saying, “I will vote to stay in session unless we have passed the SAVE America Act. The American people expect us to deliver. They deserve secure elections.”

The growing list of senators willing to stay has placed additional scrutiny on the Republicans who have refused to make the same commitment. Eleven GOP senators were singled out as RINOs for appearing prepared to support the recess while one of the party’s most heavily supported election bills remains unfinished. The warning was aimed particularly at Republicans who campaign on voter identification and election security but have not joined the effort to block the Senate from leaving town.

Thune has argued that keeping the chamber open would accomplish little without a strategy for overcoming Democratic opposition. “The question I always ask is, ‘What is your picture of victory at the end?’” Thune told reporters. He said that if the plan depends on finding ten Democrats willing to support the bill, senators could “stay here till Christmas” without changing the outcome. Thune has also said Republican senators do not have the votes to abolish the legislative filibuster.

Trump has rejected that explanation and demanded that Thune either pass the bill or eliminate the procedural obstacle blocking it. “John 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 wrote. Republicans could pass the bill with a simple majority if the filibuster were removed, but Thune has said approximately 15 members of the Republican conference oppose taking that step.

The scheduled recess would keep senators away from regular legislative business until the middle of September, leaving only a matter of weeks before the November midterms. Activist Scott Presler warned that Republicans who vote to leave without passing the bill could find their political vacation extended by the voters. “If the Senate votes to take a 37-day vacation—without passing the SAVE America Act—we are more than happy to give you a permanent vacation from the Senate,” he said. Lee delivered his own warning directly to Thune: “Do not assume you have my consent. You do not.”