Chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the Senate passing an interim spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 11 and confirming Todd Blanche as Attorney General in a close 50-49 vote.
The Senate has been out of session for about two weeks. It’s convened in brief "pro forma" sessions for just a couple of moments on four occasions since senators called it quits for more than a month at 4:57 a.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 8.
Pro forma sessions are where the Senate huddles for just a few seconds, gaveling in and gaveling out with a skeleton crew. It’s rare that more than one senator is even in the chamber.
The Senate truly isn’t back for debate and votes until the afternoon of Monday, Sept. 15.
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The president urged both the House and Senate to pass the Protect Colle Sports Act. (Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images)
But what about all of that sturm and drang about "cancelling the August recess?" Remember that President Donald Trump and conservatives – ranging from Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, to Rick Scott, R-Fla. – wanted the Senate to remain in session for the month to debate the SAVE America Act. That’s the chief legislative demand of Trump. It requires voter ID and proof of citizenship to vote.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was on the floor when the Senate cut town a little more than two weeks ago. Did Thune hornswoggle his fellow Republicans into recessing the Senate for five weeks in the dead of night?
Hardly. In fact even those Republicans who would have liked senators to remain in Washington to debate the SAVE America Act were in on Thune’s plan, allowing the Senate to abandon town for most of August and nearly half of September.
Believe it or not, Thune and all other 99 senators agreed to leave Washington. In fact, that’s the only way it could have happened.
The Senate was meeting at 2:07 a.m. that Saturday, on the verge of commencing a vote series to confirm Attorney General Todd Blanche and approve the Russia sanctions bill. That’s when Thune asked the following on the Senate floor:
"When the Senate completes its business on Aug. 8, to meet for pro forma sessions only at 10 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. 8 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026," requested Thune.
The majority leader then continued, rattling off a host of dates on Mondays and Thursdays for the Senate to convene in those pro forma sessions.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, was presiding over the Senate at the time.
"Without objection?" asked Moreno of the body when Thune concluded.