The U.S. Senate adjourned for its August recess on Saturday, August 2, without reaching an agreement to confirm dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees—despite days of intense bipartisan negotiations. The impasse was punctuated by a fiery social media outburst from Trump, who told Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer to “GO TO HELL!”
According to CNN, high-level talks involving Senate Republican leader John Thune, Schumer, and White House officials had been underway in a last-minute bid to resolve the stalemate before the Senate’s monthlong break.
At the center of the dispute were Schumer’s demands: the release of frozen federal funds and a guarantee that the White House would not introduce another legislative package aimed at cutting government spending. Trump rejected the proposals outright, calling them “egregious and unprecedented” in an online statement—effectively signaling the collapse of the negotiations.
Trump, who had previously demanded that the Senate stay in session to confirm his nominees, abruptly changed course.
In a heated social media post, he wrote:
“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.”
On the Senate floor, Thune attempted to secure unanimous consent to approve a limited number of nominations before adjournment. But Democrats, who had been delaying action on lower-level nominees, continued to resist, demanding further concessions.
Schumer had insisted on unlocking funds for key federal programs such as the National Institutes of Health and foreign aid. He also sought assurances that Trump would not push another budget-cutting “rescissions” package, following a $9 billion rollback earlier in the year.
Speaking at a news conference, Schumer criticized Trump for abruptly ending the talks.
“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’?” he said, holding up a printout of Trump’s inflammatory post.
While declining to share all the details of the closed-door discussions, Schumer noted that substantial progress had been made before the President derailed the talks.
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