Monday, August 4, 2025 - The U.S. Senate left Washington Saturday night, August 2, for its monthlong August recess without a deal to advance dozens of President Donald Trump's nominees, calling it quits after days of contentious bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer can “GO TO HELL!”
According to
CNN, Senate Republican leader John Thune, Schumer, and White House officials
had been locked in intense negotiations aimed at breaking the deadlock before
senators departed for the August recess.
Schumer had
reportedly requested the release of frozen federal funds and a commitment from
Trump not to pursue another legislative package aimed at slashing federal
spending. However, Trump rejected the demands, calling them “egregious and
unprecedented” online—a signal that the talks had collapsed.
Trump had
initially insisted that the Senate confirm his nominees before the break, even
if it meant canceling the recess. But his post indicated he was no longer open
to compromise.
“Tell Schumer,
who is under tremendous political pressure from within his own party—the
Radical Left Lunatics—to GO TO HELL! 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. Have a
great RECESS,” Trump wrote.
On the Senate
floor, Thune later sought unanimous consent to vote on a handful of nominations
before beginning the recess. But Democrats, who had been delaying action on
several lower-level nominees, continued to force procedural hurdles.
To allow a
faster confirmation process, Schumer had put forward several conditions,
including unfreezing federal funds for programs such as the National Institutes
of Health and foreign aid. He also wanted a guarantee that Trump would not
attempt another round of spending cuts through a “rescissions” package,
following a $9 billion cut passed earlier this year
Speaking at a
news conference, Schumer said Democrats were committed to finding a bipartisan
path forward but accused Trump of walking away from negotiations.
“In a fit of rage, Trump threw in the towel, sent Republicans home, and was unable to do the basic work of negotiating. Is this the ‘Art of the Deal’?” Schumer said, pointing to a printout of Trump’s post.
He declined to reveal full details of the talks but said progress had been made on several issues before Trump abruptly ended discussions.
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