President Donald Trump gave Senate Republicans his full approval to begin their August recess on Saturday, blasting Senate Democrats—particularly Minority Leader Chuck Schumer—for engaging in what he called “political extortion” to block the confirmation of his nominees.
The GOP-led Senate recessed after a contentious standoff over the confirmation of a limited group of Trump administration appointments. The president accused Schumer of attempting to leverage over $1 billion in taxpayer funding as a bargaining chip in exchange for Democrats not obstructing a modest slate of Trump’s picks.
“This demand is egregious and unprecedented, and would be embarrassing to the Republican Party if it were accepted. It is political extortion, by any other name,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Tell Schumer, who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party, the Radical Left Lunatics, to GO TO HELL!”
Trump’s post came after reports that Democrats were pushing for a deal to unfreeze funds for the National Institutes of Health and foreign aid, while also seeking guarantees that the White House would not send additional rescission packages to claw back already allocated money.
The president, who had previously urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune to stay in Washington and push through confirmations, changed his tone once Schumer’s demands became public. Trump instead encouraged GOP lawmakers to head home and make the case directly to their voters.
“Do not accept the offer, go home and explain to your constituents what bad people the Democrats are, and what a great job the Republicans are doing, and have done, for our Country,” Trump posted. “Have a great RECESS and, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”
Despite the recess, the Senate will hold pro forma sessions every few days to block any possibility of recess appointments—procedural sessions that prevent the president from unilaterally installing nominees while Congress is out of town. The next official Senate vote isn’t expected until September 2. The House, under Republican control, had already adjourned for the summer.
Before departing, the Senate did manage to confirm several Trump nominees, including a key vote to retain Jeanine Pirro as U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. Lawmakers also passed several fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills, laying groundwork ahead of the September 30 budget deadline.
Trump praised Senate Republicans for holding the line against what he called the Democrats’ deliberate obstruction campaign. “Very proud of our great Republican Senators for fighting, over the Weekend and far beyond, if necessary, in order to get my great Appointments approved, and on their way to helping us MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he wrote.
He added that “Radical Left Democrat Senators are doing everything possible to DELAY these wonderful and talented people from being approved,” while commending Senator John Thune and the broader Republican conference for their resolve.
The president’s decision to green-light the recess while publicly condemning Schumer’s tactics signals a strategic pivot—one that allows Republicans to regroup in their home states and publicly air Democratic obstruction, while holding the line against backdoor deals that Trump sees as undermining his administration’s momentum.
The post Trump Blesses Senate Recess, Blasts Schumer’s ‘Extortion’ Tactics appeared first on Real News Now.
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