The Senate is heading home until June without finishing a reconciliation bill, after Republican tensions over the package coincided with President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R-TX) against incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX).
Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman posted on X: “BREAKING NEWS: THE SENATE will go home until June, leaving the reconciliation bill unfinished. THUNE just told senators in the room. All because of the DOJ weaponization fund. House is expected to follow suit soon.”
Brendan Pedersen, a senior reporter with Punchbowl News, posted on X: “Thune asked if Senate Rs are responding to politics — ie, Trump endorsements and snubs this week
‘It’s hard to divorce anything that happens here from what’s happening in political atmosphere around us,’ Thune said. ‘You can’t disconnect those things.’”
While Republican Senators publicly claim substantive issues with the bill were the driving factor behind the early vacation, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) acknowledged President Donald Trump’s Tuesday endorsement of Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) weighed heavily on Republican Senators’ minds as they skipped town instead of advancing a top Trump priority as planned.
The comments came after Trump endorsed Paxton in the Texas Senate Republican primary runoff against Cornyn, a move that has sharply intensified pressure inside the Senate GOP ahead of the May 26 runoff.
Vice President JD Vance told Breitbart News White House Correspondent Nick Gilbertson on Tuesday, May 19, that President Donald Trump’s endorsement of Paxton “sends a message” that lawmakers “have got to serve the people” who elected them.
“Today we saw the president endorse Ken Paxton over John Cornyn in the Texas Senate race. Do you think that sends a message going forward for the next cycle to senators considering running for election, or any MAGA-aligned potential candidates that are considering challenging them?” Gilbertson asked.
“I’ve known John Cornyn for a long time, but unfortunately, you know, when it really counted, Ken Paxton was there for the country, was there for the president, and that’s why he ultimately earned the president’s endorsement,” Vance said.
Vance said Trump viewed Paxton as someone who would be a “better senator” and framed the endorsement as part of Trump’s broader push for Republicans who will fight for the voters who elected them.
“I think the message that people should take from this is, fundamentally, you have got to serve the people who sent you. If you don’t do that, you’re going to find yourself out of step with voters, or out of step with the President of the United States, and that’s not a good place to be politically,” Vance said.
Hellbound and Down 