The U.S. Senate passed an interim spending bill to fund the government through 11 December and confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a tense overnight session that wrapped up just before the chamber broke for its August recess.
The twin moves, completed in the early hours of Saturday, 8 August, advanced legislation aimed at averting a government shutdown and installed President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer atop the Justice Department after weeks of internal Republican wrangling.
The vote on Blanche's nomination had been held up by concerns from both parties about his independence, with some GOP senators worried he would be too close to Trump to run the department at arm's length.
The spending measure, meanwhile, was the product of bipartisan talks aimed at avoiding another government funding showdown ahead of the midterm elections and would maintain federal funding through 11 December if approved by the House and signed into law.
A Narrow Confirmation for Todd Blanche
Todd Blanche was confirmed by a 50–49 vote, with all Democrats opposing him and two Republicans, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joining them. Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was absent.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana emerged as the decisive vote after signalling he would back the nomination despite reservations, giving leadership the support it needed to confirm Blanche.
The confirmation capped a bruising fight that exposed unease on both sides of the aisle about putting Trump's former defence lawyer in charge of a department amid concerns over its independence from the White House.
Blanche, who previously served as acting attorney general after Trump fired Pam Bondi in April and before that as deputy attorney general, said he was 'deeply honoured by the trust and confidence President Trump has placed in me' following his confirmation.
Interim Spending Bill and the August Recess
Alongside the Blanche vote, the Senate approved a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through 11 December, pushing the next major funding deadline beyond the midterm elections if the legislation ultimately becomes law.
The Senate passed the measure 90–6, with one senator voting present. An earlier 89–4 procedural vote on 3 August had advanced the legislation. The amended bill must now return to the House before it can reach Trump's desk.
With those votes done, Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., moved to lock in the chamber's August break through a series of unanimous consent requests before senators left Washington for a five-week recess.
Despite public calls from some conservatives to cancel the recess and debate voter identification legislation, the Senate nevertheless adjourned at 4:56 a.m. after completing its final votes.
The package of end-of-session votes included a test vote on a voter ID bill sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Ohio, which would amend the Help America Vote Act of 2002 to require voters to provide photo identification.
The motion to advance Husted's S. 5271 received 52 votes in favour and 46 against, falling eight votes short of the 60 needed to invoke cloture.
That procedural setup allowed GOP leaders to argue they had given the issue a hearing while acknowledging the 60-vote threshold made further progress impossible without additional support.
The Senate adjourned at 4:56 a.m., minutes after confirming Blanche, bringing an unusually long final session to a close before the August recess.
The spending fight, however, is not over. H.R. 6500 passed the Senate with amendments, meaning the House must act on the revised legislation before it can become law. Until then, the 11 December extension remains a Senate-approved proposal rather than an enacted funding measure.
