Rep Ralph Norman calls Senate hiatus ‘a slap in the face’ while SAVE Act remains stalled

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Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., criticized Senate Republican leaders for taking a five-week recess while conservative priorities, including the SAVE America Act, remained stalled in the Senate.

Speaking on the “Fox News Rundown” podcast recently, Norman discussed his campaign and scolded Senate Majority Leader John Thune for allowing the break with so many issues in flux.

“To go on a five-week hiatus is an abomination to — and a slap in the face of — people all over this country. That’s what I want to change,” Norman told Fox News senior White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich.

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Rep. Ralph Norman speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol.

Senators began their break on Aug. 8 and won’t return to Washington, D.C., until Sept. 14. Several conservative priorities remain stalled in the Senate, including the SAVE America Act, a House-passed bill requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.

Norman said there’s “no more important legislation than the SAVE Act” and called on senators to focus on passing it.

“If we don’t know that American citizens are voting for the leaders of our great country, what do we have? We don’t have a democracy,” Norman said.

He criticized the Senate’s progress on conservative priorities but stopped short of calling for Thune’s removal as Majority leader.

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“Here’s what disappoints me with Sen. Thune: I like him. I’ve met him. What frustrates me is we keep hearing the same refrain. ‘We don’t have the votes.’ How long are we going to hear that? Are you staying in session, or are you going on a five-week hiatus like they did?” Norman said.

“We’ve got to dial into fixing this country in a way that we haven’t had to do. It’s D-Day now. It’s time to do it,” he later added.

Though Norman focused his criticism on the Senate, both chambers of Congress are on their scheduled August recess. The Senate has also previously held votes on election integrity and voter ID measures during late-night floor sessions, but none secured the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.

Norman also addressed President Donald Trump’s decision to endorse his primary opponent, Darline Graham.

“I wanted the president’s endorsement, I called him. He chose otherwise, that’s fine. South Carolina will pick the next senator for six years,” Norman said.

Graham and Norman advanced to an Aug. 25 runoff following South Carolina’s special Republican primary on Aug. 11. Both are vying for the Republican nomination to succeed the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on July 11. Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister, was appointed to finish her brother’s term and is now seeking a full six-year term.

Trump endorsed Darline Graham in a Truth Social post following her brother’s death, writing, “She is a spectacular person, and a true American Patriot. Lindsey was one of the greatest people and Senators I have ever known, and his sister shares his deep love of our Country, and the State of South Carolina.”

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“I asked Darline, for the Good of our Nation, to run for the U.S. Senate in the Special Republican Primary on Tuesday, August 11, 2026. I hope Darline does this, in that there would be nobody better to honor the legacy of her beloved brother, Lindsey,” Trump added.

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Norman announced his Senate bid during an interview with “Saturday in America” host Kayleigh McEnany in July, telling her, “I’m here to announce that I will be a candidate for the Senate. I’ll be throwing my hat in the ring. And day one, Kayleigh, I will be laser-focused on passing President Trump’s America First, and it starts with the SAVE America Act.”

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