Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is dangling the threat of canceling the Senate’s August recess to pressure Democrats eager to get back to their hometown campaign trails, on key votes, according to a Wednesday Politico report.
McConnell is reportedly planning to meet with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and President Donald Trump to see if he can negotiate with Schumer to get nominees confirmed and a spending bill passed in exchange for a ceasefire from Trump in attacking the Senate and it’s four-week break.
Sixteen Republican senators signed a letter last week urging McConnell to cancel the recess to force Democrats’ hand. They say that they want to forego the break to get work done amid “historic obstruction” from the Democrats.
However, the fact that ten Democrats are up for reelection this year in states won by Trump certainly factors in. Only one Republican, Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), is up in a state won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.