Senators are sticking around Washington this weekend after a busy week on the Hill highlighted partisan divides, intraparty friction and growing tension between the two chambers. One thing is clear \u2014 everyone is ready for spring break.<\/p>\n
The Senate has largely been wrapped up in an extended debate on the GOP\u2019s marquee voter ID legislation, dubbed the SAVE America Act. Debate on the bill began Tuesday<\/a> and is anticipated to extend through the weekend, at least.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re in through this weekend,\u201d Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said on Fox News on Friday morning. \u201cThere will be a vote on this bill. We will find out where everybody stands.\u201d<\/p>\n And House Republicans are keeping a close eye on their colleagues across the Capitol, threatening<\/a> to hold up Senate-passed legislation if they don\u2019t advance the bill. A group of 25 House Republicans<\/a> wrote to Thune, saying President Donald Trump has \u201ccalled on the Senate to use the talking filibuster to secure passage of the SAVE America Act immediately, superseding everything else. We agree.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cConsider this our filibuster,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n The decision to vote down Senate bills will only get more challenging if the two chambers strike a deal on a major housing measure, which passed the Senate earlier this month but has faced some resistance<\/a> in the House. That measure is key to the party\u2019s affordability messaging ahead of November.<\/p>\n Many House Republicans have been urging Thune to try to send the election bill to Trump\u2019s desk via a simple majority by forcing a \u201ctalking filibuster,\u201d which could hold up the Senate floor for months.<\/p>\n Thune has maintained the votes do not exist to get off a talking filibuster if they took that route, or to change the legislative filibuster, like many House Republicans are also calling for.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I will tell you is there are not the votes to nuke the filibuster in the United States Senate today,\u201d Thune said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Coupled with the ongoing shutdown over the Department of Homeland Security, legislative gridlock is on the horizon.<\/p>\n Mullin momentum\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s pick to replace Kristi Noem as Homeland Security secretary, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, was approved<\/a> by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Thursday after he received a critical vote from a Democrat.<\/p>\n The panel voted 8-7 to report Mullin to the floor, the day after a contentious confirmation hearing <\/a>that included criticism from the panel\u2019s chairman, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who described the Oklahoma Republican as a man with \u201canger issues.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Mullin\u2019s committee vote was also momentarily questioned over recent questions about comments he\u2019d made regarding his travel history, including testifying he\u2019d participated in a \u201cclassified\u201d trip. That led to a separate private briefing with members of the committee on Wednesday afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n Paul bucked his party to vote against Mullin\u2019s nomination, but Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., crossed party lines to support him. Mullin only needs a simple majority vote on the floor to get the job, and with the GOP in control of the Senate, he will almost certainly get it.<\/p>\n A confirmation vote could happen as early as next week, with some procedural votes possible this weekend.<\/p>\n DHS shutdown sitdown<\/p>\n After Senate appropriators of both parties held a face-to-face meeting Thursday with White House \u201cborder czar\u201d Tom Homan \u2014 some of the first signs of progress in weeks \u2014 Thune set a deadline of next week<\/a> for resolving the DHS funding standoff.<\/p>\n The meeting was a \u201cpretty big deal and a recognition that we need to get this resolved,\u201d Thune said. \u201cIt needs to get resolved by the end of next week.\u201d<\/p>\n The meeting drew participation from several key moderates who broke ranks to help end the historic partial government shutdown last fall, including Sens. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., and Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.\u00a0<\/p>\n Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said \u201cthere was a robust discussion\u201d and that progress was made, but also accused Democrats of adding more demands. But she said she also expects to see another offer from the White House. \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep trying, but it would be helpful if the Democrats showed some movement on their part, which doesn\u2019t seem to be happening.\u201d<\/p>\n House Democrats started a separate bid to force a vote on their bill to fund most of DHS except federal immigration enforcement, which would reopen key agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.\u00a0<\/p>\n