Thune, Johnson face summer doldrums as August looms

• Both leaders are dealing — albeit in different ways — with the onset of Congress' version of "senioritis."
• As August approaches, attendance at votes becomes difficult to enforce, lawmakers tend to be more irritable than usual and momentum fades to tackle anything that can be put off until September.

The big picture: Thune warned senators in a closed-door lunch Tuesday to be ready for possible votes on nominations next weekend — potentially taking them into August, three sources familiar with the discussion tell Axios.

• Meanwhile, across the Capitol, Johnson decided to send House members home a day early for that chamber's five-week August recess after tensions erupted over efforts to force release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
• Fallout from the debate over the Epstein documents has effectively frozen House business. Leadership opted to cut the week short and leave town before things escalate further.
• Democrats planned to force yet more votes on amendments aimed at pressuring the Justice Department to release all its documents on Epstein.

Zoom in: The idea Thune floated Tuesday is not set in stone. But no senator likes the idea of a potential Saturday vote in early August.

• The hope for GOP leaders is to reach an agreement with Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to allow for faster processing of Trump's nominees and limit the impact on recess.
• But the lunch warning is a clear sign that Thune is willing to test senators' pain tolerance in his pursuit of confirming more of Trump's nominees.