Senate Republicans have a laundry list of topics they want to discuss with President Donald Trump when he steps into the Capitol on Wednesday for what is expected to be a “robust” lunch.
But it’s a commitment to unity they’re really seeking after weeks of rolling controversies that have damaged their relationship with Trump and set back some of their legislative priorities.
There’s his preoccupation with the SAVE America Act, a sweeping election bill that Senate Republicans warn does not have the votes to pass. And they would like to move past a standoff over Bill Pulte, the acting intelligence chief whose loyalty to Trump has derailed a bipartisan deal to renew a key spy program.
The president will also hear from Republicans concerned about how he plans to go about winding down the war in Iran, with defense hawks fearing he’s pursuing an Obama-style nuclear deal.
When asked about their hopes for the meeting, several Republicans told the Washington Examiner they want the discussion to be “conciliatory” and that a successful outcome would be to emerge focusing on the cost of living, a top campaign issue.
“Let’s be sure we come out one team with one goal, getting reelected in November, and focus on the 80%-90% of all the stuff that Republicans agree on,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said.
That does not mean Republicans will shy away from airing out their concerns, however, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said he expects members to be direct with the president.
On the SAVE America Act, in particular, Thune has told Trump there aren’t the votes to sidestep the filibuster, but other Republicans plan to reiterate that point and hope he will drop his threat to veto bills without it.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) said Trump’s takeaway from Wednesday’s meeting should be that “what Leader Thune relays up to him is actually the sense and will of the conference.”
Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MT) said whatever path the Senate takes, he wants to see Republicans and Trump acting in lockstep.
“Hopefully, we can work together with the Oval Office and be coordinated in unison on a strategy to pass the SAVE Act,” he said.
The meeting comes at a moment when even Republicans cannot decide among themselves what legislation to prioritize.
Thune is far from the only member of his conference who finds the SAVE America Act debate to be counterproductive. But he’s being met with resistance from Senate rebels who say leadership is not fighting hard enough for the bill, and Trump’s presence is likely to fuel that conflict.
It was not Thune who invited Trump to the Capitol. Instead, Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) offered to host the lunch as a venue for him to discuss the SAVE America Act. And the bill’s lead sponsor, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), discussed the meeting with Trump in a Saturday phone call, according to a source familiar with the matter, so they could get on the same page.
“I’m sure I will not be silent,” Lee said of his plans for the lunch.
That conflict spilled into the open this week when Lee mocked Thune on X over the SAVE America Act, calling on him to “bring it up now and announce that we will debate it until it passes.” Thune, in turn, urged Lee to “come to grips” with the bill’s vote count.
The legislation, which requires voter ID and proof of citizenship when registering to vote, has 50 sponsors, or a simple majority, but there is Republican opposition to add-ons Trump wants for mail-in voting. A broader version of the bill attracted 48 votes earlier this month.
“I understand what he’s saying, I do,” Lee said when asked about Thune’s comment. “I also understand this isn’t easy, but it’s not inappropriate, nor is it anti-collegial, nor is it attacking fellow Republicans, to continue to advocate for something that our voters really would like us to address. That’s not unreasonable.”
Trump, when asked about Thune’s reluctance, remarked that he’s the “leader” and should find the votes.
“We’re just going to talk about SAVE America,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “We have to pass it. So we’re going to have to talk about that, and many other things. Lots of good relationships.”
Thune, for his part, said he and Trump are still “united” on the “issues that really matter to the future of this country,” but that the two do have “differences of opinion” at times.
“I shoot straight with him, and vice versa,” Thune said on Tuesday afternoon.
For months, the SAVE America Act has been the crux of that disagreement, but Senate Republicans have also grown frustrated with the president over his insistence that Pulte, who lacks a national security background, be given time to lead the intelligence community.
The Senate was fast-tracking the nomination of Jay Clayton, Pulte’s replacement, last week, but Trump suddenly torpedoed his confirmation hearing hours before it was set to take place. Now, Republicans are left without an off-ramp to renewing a spy program that allows foreign surveillance without a warrant.
Before that, Senate Republicans were locked in a dispute with Trump over his since-scrapped “anti-weaponization fund.” Their gripes even extend to the 2026 elections, and they are still fuming over Trump’s decision to endorse challengers for two of their incumbents, Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and John Cornyn (R-TX). Both lost their Senate primaries in May.
The default for Senate Republicans has been to downplay the disagreements, with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, calling Wednesday’s lunch a “good family discussion” among “friends.”
But he and other Republicans are simultaneously skittish about the Iran war and hope the meeting can also be a venue to steer Trump away from sanctions relief or weak guardrails on Tehran’s nuclear program.
When asked about the Iran peace deal, Sheehy said his message will be: “Trust isn’t a policy.” Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) said the Iran agreement was the “foremost” priority for her.
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“I’m really interested in Iran. I know he’ll want to probably talk more about the SAVE America Act, and other issues like that, which are really important,” Ernst said. “But right now, pressing for me, definitely Iran — I’d love to hear his thoughts on that.”
Scott, the lunch organizer, circulated a memo to Senate Republicans on Monday naming government funding as another priority for the meeting.