USA TODAY is reporting that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated President Donald J Trump's "patience is running out" regarding the Senate's failure to pass his voting restrictions bill, the SAVE America Act, by the August recess. Leavitt said the House had "did its job" and the Senate "needs to do its job, too." Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, responded by suggesting the White House should focus on securing votes and targeting Democrats, not Republicans. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, defended Thune, expressing "1,000% confidence" in his leadership and questioning the qualifications of any White House staff who disagree. USA TODAY said Thune's aides confirmed regular communication between Thune and Trump, with the president publicly supporting Thune while blaming other individual Republican senators for legislative stalls.
The newspaper also reported a division within the Senate GOP over making daylight saving time permanent, a measure supported by President Trump and passed by the House. Sen. John Hoeven, R-North Dakota, expressed an "open mind" and belief that the bill "has a chance to pass." Conversely, Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, doubted its passage, citing concerns about children commuting to school in the dark. Sen. John Boozman, R-Arkansas, echoed Sen. Tom Cotton's opposition, noting the difficulty of passing legislation when positions are split.
In other news, USA TODAY said the House passed a largely symbolic resolution to end the Iran war, but a similar measure failed in the Senate as some key Republicans declined to oppose the White House. Sen. Tillis indicated he would support a war powers resolution after Sept. 10, which he said would be 60 days after the Trump administration first publicly referred to the conflict as a war. Additionally, the House passed a voter ID bill with support from some Democrats, which was attached to legislation limiting stock trading by members of Congress.