Reporter's Notebook: Inside the Senate showdown over Trump's push to scrap August recess
"Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double." – The ClashThe words "schedule" and "Congress"...
By Fox News · Fox News
"Should I stay or should I go now? If I go there will be trouble. And if I stay it will be double." – The Clash The words "schedule" and "Congress" don’t always mesh. But the formal Senate schedule has long had senators taking off at the end of this week until early September for the customary "August recess." Only thing is, President Trump and some conservatives pushing for approval of the SAVE America Act don’t want the Senate to beg off. They assert that the Senate should remain in session until it passes the bill, which requires proof of citizenship to vote . "I think there’s nothing more important than they pass the SAVE America Act. I think they should stay," said President Trump. "They do what they want. But I think they should stay." SEN RICK SCOTT: AMERICANS WORK FIVE DAYS A WEEK, WHY CAN’T THE SENATE? The Senate has already defeated two efforts to adopt the SAVE America Act. So there’s not an obvious pathway to alter those previous outcomes. Senate Majority Leader John Thune , R-S.D., has rebuffed the President’s demands to stay in session. "I don’t think having a Congress sitting around here for the month of August and quorum calls or having to vote on Democrat amendments is probably a good use of anybody's time," said Thune. There’s tension between the South Dakota Republican and the President over the Senate’s legislative realities. Thune may be Majority Leader. But Thune believes the President bears responsibility for changing some minds on Capitol Hill. "We have in the past suggested to he and his team to come up here and visit with some of my Republican colleagues," said Thune. "Now if he can change the facts and start moving some of those senators who are noes into yesses, then we have a different conversation. But that's just the reality." As always, it’s about the math. And the SAVE America Act lacks the votes. "I know Sen. Thune says the votes aren't there. I'm not saying he's wrong. I'm just saying people change their mind sometimes," argued Se…