Inside the GOP's mad dash to recess finish line — Axios

RESOLVING THE LEDGER

Inside the GOP's mad dash to recess finish line — Axios | AIPROPX

Senate Republicans are racing toward the August recess with a legislative to-do list worthy of a Joe Rogan podcast: crypto, college sports and hemp.

Why it matters: They likely won't get to all of it, but the White House wants the Senate to get caught trying.

First, senators want to get way ahead of any government shutdown fight. Just as important — an NIL rights bill, with ESPN's first College GameDay set for Sept. 5.

"I've kind of stacked these things: funding the government, the [Todd] Blanche nomination and the 74 nominations," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Thursday on Fox News, previewing his agenda.

Then come "Russia sanctions, NIL, market structure," he added, rounding out a short list of issues that animate young men , who are the backbone of the MAGA coalition.

What to watch: Thune is still weighing whether and how to force another vote on the SAVE Act or similar election security legislation — even though it's expected to fall well short of the 60 votes needed to advance.

"We'll figure out a way to get yet another vote on the Save America Act," Thune told Fox, "but I don't expect the Democrats to change their view."

The vote would give Republicans another opportunity to put Democrats on the record opposing a voter ID measure that Thune has called an "80-20 issue."

It might also help appease President Trump and his allies in the Senate who are insisting the Senate stay in town until election integrity is addressed.

What we're hearing: If T.S. Eliot covered Congress, he'd decide August is the cruelest month, breeding cloture votes for senators who just want to catch a flight.

Some senators remain hopeful for a last-minute deal that would allow Thune to clear the deck and send everyone home Friday.

As of Thursday evening, however, the prospect of the Senate working into the weekend remained a real possibility.

The intrigue: One major sticking point is crypto and the CLARITY Act , which would provide the first comprehensive federal regulatory framework for digital assets.

Democrats are reluctant to give Republicans an initial procedural vote on the market-structure bill, arguing it could short-circuit bipartisan negotiations and reduce pressure on GOP leaders to come to the table.

They are also worried that a failed vote could unlock millions in crypto super PAC money.

Zoom in: Republicans also remain divided over hemp , threatening to complicate passage of the stopgap spending bill.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.) continues to insist on a vote to strip language, inserted at the White House's urging, that would delay implementation of a ban on certain intoxicating hemp products.