Nominations, renewed fighting in Iran, government funding and President Donald Trump's flagship election bill await the Senate as it returns this week.The upper chamber is coming back after a more than two-week hiatus to sprint through the remainder of July and march into the first week of August.And priorities have piled up, be it over divisions between the aisles or within the Senate GOP.Adding to the uphill climb is the sudden death of Sen.
Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., meaning that Republicans will be down one key vote in their push to move Trump's agenda. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., will be put to the task of keeping his conference together, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats are likely to look for any fractures they can in the GOP’s unity to slow down Trump’s agenda.TRUMP HOLDS WASHINGTON HOSTAGE OVER SAVE ACT AS MIDTERM CLOCK TICKS ON GOP CONTROLWASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 03: U.S.Sen.
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to members of the media as the Trump Cabinet briefs members of Congress on Iran at the U.S.Capitol on March 3, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Trump administration Cabinet officials will be briefing all lawmakers in the House and Senate on U.S.and Israeli attacks on Iran.
(Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) (Getty Images)But Trump has done his part to derail some aspects of his own agenda, much of it over his determination to force Republicans to pass his flagship election integrity legislation, the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act.He already refused to sign a massive, bipartisan housing package in protest of the stalled legislation and now wants the GOP to attach the SAVE America Act to the perennial, must-pass National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which needs Democratic votes to pass.Adding the voter bill to the military funding authorization package would all but guarantee no Democrats would support it.Republicans hope to begin the process on the NDAA in July and fear that tr...