The Senate adjourned at 4:57 a.m. ET after confirming Todd Blanche as the 88th Attorney General and passing a bipartisan interim spending bill to help avert an October shutdown. Several major items were left unresolved: the SAVE America Act was not taken up, a narrower voter ID bill by Sen. Jon Husted failed a test vote, and the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act did not get a vote. A procedural vote on cryptocurrency is scheduled for Sept. 15.
Senate Wraps Summer Session: Key Confirmation, Funding Bill Passed — Several High-Profile Measures Deferred
The U.S. Capitol Building seen at sunset.
The Senate adjourned its late-summer session at 4:57 a.m. ET after confirming Todd Blanche as the nation's 88th Attorney General and approving a bipartisan interim spending bill that reduces the immediate risk of an October government shutdown. Equally notable were the contentious items lawmakers left unresolved as they headed into recess.
What Passed
Confirmation: Senators confirmed Todd Blanche as the 88th Attorney General, a key personnel move completed in the final hours of the session.
Temporary Funding: Lawmakers approved a bipartisan interim spending bill designed to extend federal funding into the fall and lessen the chance of a shutdown in October.
Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio., speaks at the U.S. Capitol. The Senate blocked his voter ID measure in a test vote ahead of the August recess.
What Didn’t Happen
SAVE America Act: The chamber did not stay in session to attempt passage of the SAVE America Act. Even Republicans favoring the measure declined to stage procedural moves to force debate before adjournment, leaving the bill without a final vote.
Budget Framework: The Senate chose not to take up a budget framework that some lawmakers hoped could create a procedural path to add election-integrity provisions later and pass them in a vehicle not subject to the filibuster. Expect criticism from conservatives over the decision.
Narrow Votes and Tactical Moves
Voter ID Test Vote: Senators held a test vote on a narrower voter ID bill authored by Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio). The measure was blocked, but the roll call put Democrats on record opposing it. Supporters framed the procedural vote as politically useful for Husted in his competitive race against former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio).
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the Protect College Sports Act will be "one of our first orders of business" in September.
Other High-Profile Bills Deferred
Protect College Sports Act: The bipartisan bill to regulate money in intercollegiate athletics, backed by the Big Ten and SEC and authored by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), was not taken up. President Trump publicly urged senators to remain in session to pass the measure, even declaring on Truth Social, "Anyone who tells you otherwise is lying." Cruz said the bill remains a priority and indicated it would be among the first items when the Senate returns in September, but no formal vote is yet scheduled.
The college-sports bill was hampered by internal GOP disputes over whether it adequately addresses participation in women’s athletics — a disagreement that helped delay action.
Cryptocurrency Regulation
A push to advance legislation regulating cryptocurrency also stalled as lawmakers failed to resolve differences before adjournment. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has scheduled a procedural vote on crypto for Sept. 15, setting the stage for renewed debate in the fall.
Outlook
The Senate left town having secured an important confirmation and short-term funding, while several politically charged items — from the SAVE America Act to college-sports and crypto legislation — were deferred for the fall calendar. Lawmakers and advocates are likely to use the August recess to regroup and press their cases before the Senate reconvenes.
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