Overview

• House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will convene pro-forma sessions every four to five days during the August recess to prevent a formal adjournment that would enable President Trump to make recess appointments.
• President Trump has urged Senate leaders to cancel the recess entirely and confirm his 135 pending nominees to avoid temporary staffing gaps in key administration posts.
• Senators Mike Lee and Ron Johnson have called on colleagues to either stay in session to clear the confirmation backlog or allow a full recess and permit Trump’s recess appointments, promoting their case with the #ClearThe135 campaign.
• Political researcher Anna Matson argues GOP leaders are wielding pro-forma sessions as leverage to strike nomination deals with the White House, citing past concessions such as the RFK Jr. confirmation.
• Libertarian Rep. Thomas Massie’s public revelations and criticism of Speaker Johnson have laid bare rifts between senators defending Senate prerogatives and those backing Trump’s expedited staffing push.