2026年8月4日 美国东部时间12:07 / 福克斯新闻频道
公民身份投票证明法案已两次失败，多数党领袖称仍未获得足够票数
作者：查德·珀格拉姆 福克斯新闻频道
“我该留下还是离开？若离开便会有麻烦。若留下，麻烦则加倍。”——冲撞乐队
“日程安排”与“国会”从来都不是总能兼容的两个词。
但按照惯例，参议院长期以来都会在本周末休会，直至9月初，迎来一年一度的“八月休会期”。
但问题在于，特朗普总统和一些推动通过《拯救美国法案》的保守派人士并不希望参议院就此休会。他们主张参议院应继续开会，直至通过这项要求选民提供公民身份证明的法案。
“我认为没有什么比通过《拯救美国法案》更重要的事了，我认为他们应该留下，”特朗普总统说道，“他们当然可以按自己的意愿行事，但我觉得他们应该留下来。”
参议员里克·斯科特：美国人每周工作五天，参议院为什么不能？
2026年4月21日，华盛顿特区美国国会大厦，参议院多数党领袖、南达科他州共和党人约翰·图恩在与参议院共和党领袖举行政策午餐会后召开新闻发布会。（内森·波斯纳/安多鲁通讯社 盖蒂图片社 摄）
参议院已经两次否决了《拯救美国法案》的表决提案，目前并没有显而易见的途径可以扭转此前的投票结果。参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩（南达科他州共和党人）已经拒绝了总统要求参议院留会的要求。
“我认为让国会整个八月都坐在这里，只进行点到名的出席表决或是就民主党提出的修正案投票，根本算不上是对任何人时间的合理利用，”图恩说道。
这位南达科他州共和党人与总统之间就参议院的立法现实存在分歧。尽管图恩身为多数党领袖，但他认为总统有责任去改变国会山部分议员的立场。
“过去我们曾建议他和他的团队来这里拜访我的一些共和党同僚，”图恩说道，“如果他能改变现状，说服那些投反对票的议员转而支持法案，那我们的讨论就另当别论了。但现实就是如此。”
一如往常，一切都取决于票数。而《拯救美国法案》目前仍未获得足够的支持票。
“我知道图恩参议员说过法案目前没有足够票数，我不是说他错了，我只是说人们有时会改变主意，”路易斯安那州共和党人约翰·肯尼迪参议员辩称道。
但除非情况迅速出现转机，否则就连针对该法案的投票都不太可能举行。
这正是犹他州共和党人迈克·李、德克萨斯州共和党人特德·克鲁兹、堪萨斯州共和党人罗杰·马歇尔、佛罗里达州共和党人里克·斯科特及其他议员提出的观点：除非参议院通过这项法案，否则不应休会。
那么接下来会发生什么？
我们不妨假设到了周五晚间，参议院完成了夏季的最后一次投票。可能是确认托德·布兰奇出任司法部长的投票，也可能是为纪念已故南卡罗来纳州共和党人林赛·格雷厄姆而提出的对俄制裁法案。参议院届时将准备休会至9月中旬。近年来，参议院从未就连续数周休会的决议进行过投票。而《拯救美国法案》的支持者们会试图阻挠这类休会决议的通过，但由于根本没有相关投票，这一点其实无关紧要。
就在不久前，众议院和参议院还经常会通过“休会决议”，但现在情况不同了。这类休会计划必须得到众议院的同意。美国宪法第一条第六款规定，任何一院若休会超过三天，必须获得另一院的同意。众议院已经休会数周，无法批准参议院的休会决议。此外，目前也不清楚众议院是否能够通过一项休会决议。
因此，根据宪法规定，两院至少都需要举行简短的“程序性会议”：议员们召集会议，仅持续数秒便随即休会。这符合宪法要求。
但问题也随之而来。
当参议院即将结束会议时，图恩或其副手通常会走向议会大厅，提议“一致同意”参议院在9月之前按每周一、周四或周二、周五的间隔召开会议。这些就是“程序性会议”，间隔三天召开一次。但如果李或其他议员提出反对，那么会议就无法按计划进行。参议院无法批准这一系列程序性会议，必须获得全体100名参议员的一致同意。
共和党人：特朗普的首要选举优先事项在参议院“夭折”，中期选举前共和党内部出现分裂
2026年7月15日，华盛顿特区德克森参议院办公大楼，代理司法部长托德·布兰奇出席其司法部长提名的参议院司法委员会确认听证会。（安多鲁通讯社 盖蒂图片社 摄）
但在这种情况下，一名议员的反对并不会真正阻碍休会，也不会迫使就《拯救美国法案》展开辩论，更不用说进行投票或通过法案了。
如果图恩或其指定人员无法获得一致同意，他们唯一的选择就是提出次日再次开会的动议。比如美国东部时间上午9点。如果有人反对这个时间，根据参议院的默认议事规则，会议将改在美国东部时间中午举行。
也就是说，此时可能会有人迫使进行事实上的“休会投票”。一名共和党参议员可能会要求就周五休会、周六复会的动议进行投票。这并非直接针对“休会”的投票，但却是最接近就参议院休会行动进行投票的方式。
休会动议在议会大厅是不可辩论的，但可以修改。有人可以提出另一个关于参议院复会时间的替代方案，但仅此而已。
在这个假设的周六会议上，图恩可能会直接获得发言机会，提议参议院再次休会一天。此时，推动《拯救美国法案》的议员甚至可能连发言的机会都没有。不过，如果图恩表现得较为大度，允许有人发表意见，那么该议员就可以获得发言权，并想讲多久就讲多久。
需要注意的是，这并不构成阻挠议事。阻挠议事是指参议员试图阻止某项议程通过，而在这种情况下，《拯救美国法案》的支持者们是试图启动某项议程。因此这并非阻挠议事，只是一场冗长的演讲。但图恩可能不会让这种情况发生。尽管他们已经多次提及此事，但《拯救美国法案》最坚定的支持者们尚未利用其参议员权限，长时间占据议会大厅发言。
请记住，《拯救美国法案》的支持者们完全有可能在八月休会期间的后续每一天都要求获得议会发言机会。图恩可以阻止他们发言，因为程序性会议的议事日程就是召集会议并立即休会。如果《拯救美国法案》的支持者们试图推动投票，只需要另一名议员在议会大厅提出反对即可。
有人可能会问，《拯救美国法案》的支持者们是否会要求进行“现场”出席点名（即所有参议员必须到议会大厅签到），甚至提出更极端的动议，“指示警卫官逮捕缺席议员并将他们带到议会大厅”。在八月休会期间，这种做法并不适用。原因何在？因为参议院此时并未达到法定人数。过去，参议院会通过出席点名来确认是否有足够议员到场开展议事。未达到法定人数就开展议事是违反宪法的。
《拯救美国法案》的联盟可能会证明，华盛顿没有足够的参议员到场开展议事。这或许能佐证他们的观点，但也会迫使参议院休会，因为没有法定人数就无法运作。
观看：随着《拯救法案》斗争升温，民主党人承认何时会废除阻挠议事规则
2026年8月3日，星期一，华盛顿特区白宫椭圆形办公室，唐纳德·特朗普总统在与军人家庭的会议上发表讲话。（美联社照片/亚历克斯·布兰登）
这些策略或许无法实现通过《拯救美国法案》的立法目标，但对支持者们而言却另有裨益。一系列冗长的演讲有可能推迟休会时间。这些共和党参议员可以辩称，他们愿意留下来就《拯救美国法案》展开辩论，而他们的同僚却已经逃离华盛顿度夏。这种做法会将公众的注意力集中到该议题上，将愿意为该议题奋斗的参议员与已经回家的议员形成对比。此举可能会给特朗普总统留下深刻印象，同时也能凸显他们与图恩之间的分歧——而总统经常会批评图恩的领导。
但要说通过《拯救美国法案》？这根本不可能。一些共和党参议员强调，休会几周非常重要，以便议员们能够开展竞选活动。
“对我们来说最糟糕的情况就是一直留在这里，然后在未来几天失去参议院的控制权，”俄克拉荷马州共和党人詹姆斯·兰克福德参议员在福克斯新闻频道说道，“那样特朗普总统又要被迫应对没完没了的弹劾闹剧了。”
继续留在华盛顿五周会让处境最脆弱的共和党参议员无法开展竞选活动，缅因州共和党人苏珊·柯林斯说道。
当被问及是否会参加竞选活动而错过自1997年加入参议院以来的首次点名投票时，柯林斯的态度非常明确。
“我不会错过任何投票，”语气坚定的柯林斯说道。
因此，不要指望参议院会放弃本周末的休会安排。
事实上，参议院决定休会甚至可能对《拯救美国法案》的支持者们有利。他们可以借此抨击图恩的领导能力和同僚们未能通过法案。同样，他们无法在立法层面取得成果，但肯定能在政治层面赚得不少加分。
这就是为什么冲撞乐队的几位“哲学王者”或许早已看透了这一点。如果参议院留下，共和党人无法通过《拯救美国法案》。但如果他们离开，部分共和党参议员就可以借此煽动民意。
无论参议员们留下还是离开，都将陷入困境。
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查德·珀格拉姆目前担任福克斯新闻频道（FNC）首席国会通讯员。他于2007年9月加入该频道，总部位于华盛顿特区。
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Reporter’s Notebook: Inside the Senate showdown over Trump’s push to scrap August recess
August 4, 2026 12:07pm EDT / Fox News
The proof of citizenship voting bill has failed twice and the majority leader says votes still aren’t there
By Chad Pergram 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?
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., speaks at a press conference with Senate Republican leaders following a policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on April 21, 2026.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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 Sen. John Kennedy, R-La.
But it doesn’t look like there will even be a vote on that, unless something ripens quickly.
That’s where Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Roger Marshall, R-Kas, Rick Scott, R-Fla., and others have suggested the Senate shouldn’t go on break unless they pass the bill.
So what happens next?
Let’s say we get to Friday night. The Senate has taken its final vote of the summer. Maybe to confirm Todd Blanche as Attorney General. Perhaps the measure named after late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., which sanctions Russia. The Senate is ready to finish until mid-September. In recent years, the Senate has not voted on a resolution to go out of session for weeks on end. That’s where SAVE America Act proponents would attempt to block such an effort. But its immaterial since there is no vote.
In the not too distant past, the House and Senate often approved “adjournment resolutions.” But not right now. Such a plan must align with the wishes of the House of Representatives. Article I, Section 6 of the Constitution bars either body for adjourning for more than three days “without the Consent of the other.” The House isn’t around to approve an adjournment resolution. It’s been out of session for a couple of weeks now. Moreover, it’s not clear that the House could adopt an adjournment resolution.
So, under the Constitution, each body must – at a minimum – hold a brief “pro forma” session where lawmakers convene for just a few seconds and then immediately gavel out. That meets the Constitutional requirement.
But there’s the rub.
When the Senate wraps up, Thune or one of his lieutenants would usually go to the floor and ask “unanimous consent” that the Senate meet on a series of Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays between now and September. These are the “pro forma” sessions, convening at three-day intervals. But if Lee or someone wants to object, they’re stuck. The Senate can’t green light the set of pro formas. The Senate must have buy-in of all 100 senators.
REPUBLICAN SAYS TRUMP’S TOP ELECTION PRIORITY ‘DEAD’ IN SENATE AS GOP FRACTURES AHEAD OF MIDTERMS
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche appears before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for his nomination to be attorney general at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2026.(Anadolu via Getty Images)
But an objection in this case hardly blocks the recess or compels debate – let alone a vote or passage – on the SAVE America Act.
If Thune or his designee can’t get unanimous consent, the only option they have is to move to meet again the next day. Let’s say 9 a.m. ET. If someone objects to the time, it will meet at noon et under the Senate’s default protocols.
That said, this is where someone could force what might constitute the de facto “vote to go on recess.” A Republican senator might demand a vote on the Senate adjourning for the day on Friday and meeting on Saturday. This is not a vote to “go on recess.” But it’s the closest someone can engineer a possible vote related to Senate action.
A motion to adjourn is not debatable on the floor. But it is amendable. Someone could offer another option about when the Senate should meet. But that’s about it.
On this hypothetical Saturday session, it’s possible that Thune could simply get recognition and ask for the Senate to adjourn for the day again. One of those pushing the SAVE America Act doesn’t even get recognized to speak. However, if Thune is gracious and is willing to allow someone to have their say, they could get the floor and hold it as long as they want.
Note that doing so does not constitute a filibuster. Filibusters are efforts by senators to stop something. In this case, advocates of the SAVE America Act are trying to start something. So no filibuster. This would just be a really long speech. But Thune might not let it come to that. And even though they’ve chattered about it a lot, the strongest advocates of the SAVE America Act have not taken advantage of their prerogatives as senators and gone down to hold the floor at length.
Keep in mind that SAVE America Act advocates could potentially do this and push for recognition on the floor on all subsequent days during the August recess. Thune could block them from speaking because the order of the day is to convene and adjourn during a pro forma session. And if the SAVE America Act faction were to push for a vote, all it takes is another senator to block them on the floor.
One might ask the question about whether the SAVE America Act group might demand a “live” quorum call (where all senators must report to the floor for attendance) or even the more extreme motion of “instructing the Sergeant at Arms to arrest” absent senators and bring them to the floor. Well, this works at cross purposes during August. The reason? The Senate doesn’t have a quorum. In the old days, the Senate took quorum calls to establish if enough senators present were present to do business. It violates the Constitution to conduct business without a quorum present.
The SAVE America Act coalition may prove that there aren’t enough senators in Washington to conduct business. That helps make their point. But it also forces the Senate to adjourn because it can’t operate without a quorum.
WATCH: DEMOCRATS ADMIT WHEN THEY’D ELIMINATE THE FILIBUSTER AS SAVE ACT FIGHT HEATS UP
President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting about military families, in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Washington.(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
These gambits might not achieve the legislative goal of passing the SAVE America Act. But there are other benefits for SAVE America Act advocates. A series of lengthy speeches could potentially delay the recess. These Republican senators could argue that they are willing to stay and debate the SAVE America Act while their colleagues fled Washington for summer. Such a maneuver would focus attention on the issue. It would draw a contrast between senators willing to fight for the issue and those who went home. The effort might impress President Trump. And such a maneuver could show divides between them and Thune – who the President often chastises.
But pass the SAVE America Act? It’s not going to do that. And some Republican senators emphasize the importance of taking a few weeks off so their colleagues can campaign.
“The worst case scenario is for us is to stay all the way through and then we lose the Senate in the days ahead,” said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., on Fox. “Then President Trump is dealing with all the impeachment crazy all over again.”
Remaining in Washington for the next five weeks would pull the most vulnerable GOP senator off the trail, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Collins was crystal clear when pressed by yours truly whether she would campaign and miss her first roll call vote since entering the Senate in 1997.
“I don’t miss votes,” said an emphatic Collins.
So don’t expect the Senate to forgo the recess at the end of the week.
In fact, a decision by the Senate to go on recess may even work to the political advantage of those pushing for the SAVE America Act. They can then rail against Thune’s leadership and their colleagues for not passing the bill. Again, they don’t score the legislative outcome. But they sure rack up some political points.
This is why those philosopher kings who comprise the band The Clash may have been on to something. If the Senate stays, Republicans can’t pass the SAVE America Act. But if they go, certain GOP senators can rabble rouse.
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There’s trouble whether senators stay or go.
Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.
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