Senate Majority Leader John Thune is trying to pack the Senate's final week before the August recess with votes. One item missing from his agenda: President Trump's top legislative priority, the SAVE America Act.

Why it matters: Schedules reveal priorities. Thune and Trump's are misaligned.

• "I don't think my leadership wants to do it," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said of a third reconciliation package, which would include parts of the SAVE Act. "I think they're making a huge mistake."

Thune, for the most part, is deferring to new Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who will meet with committee Republicans tomorrow morning.

• Johnson is also keeping his options open, telling us it's "possible" a vote on a budget resolution could happen this week.
• Some of his committee members are prepared to go further.
• "I will do everything possible to have a vote on the budget resolution," Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told us. "I think we need to stay here until we vote on it and figure out a way to get it across the finish line."

Driving the news: Thune told reporters today that his immediate focus is avoiding a shutdown.

• First up: A short-term funding bill through Dec. 11.
• Then: A package of 74 nominees, a bipartisan Russia sanctions package and the crypto market structure CLARITY Act.
• "And then we'll see from there," he said.

👀 What to watch: The question is whether pressure builds to add a vote on a budget resolution, which would kick off another reconciliation process and include elements of SAVE.

• The resolution also includes farm aid and defense funds for the Iran conflict. The White House has been pushing the Senate to get it done.
• ⚖️ Leaders will have to weigh whether demands from the White House and the base are enough to force a vote, even if it fails.

🌎 Zoom out: In March, Trump called for the SAVE Act to "go to the front of the line."

• Last week, he demanded that Thune cancel the August recess unless the act passed, openly wondering whether Thune was the right majority leader if he couldn't deliver the bill.
• "Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!" Trump said on Truth Social.

🔎 Zoom in: Thune says his August agenda is dictated by Senate reality, not White House urgency, deferring to Johnson on the likelihood of a budget resolution moving this week.

• And he is strongly hinting at keeping senators in D.C. to vote into the weekend — or even next week — if Democrats and Republicans don't come together on agreements to expedite their priorities.
• If they run out of time, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination to officially take the position could slide until September — as could other priorities like a bipartisan college sports package.

The bottom line: Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) has been threatening to put GOP senators on the record about whether they want to leave town without moving on a third budget reconciliation bill.

• But Thune is keeping his options open. Asked if he'll face such a vote, he demurred.
• "That's a good question. We'll find out," he said.

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— Hans Nichols and Sted W. Kight

Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) is heading toward what Republicans see as an almost inevitable censure after the House Ethics Committee concluded he violated House rules over sexual harassment toward staffers.

⚡️ Why it matters: Unlike past censure fights that devolved into partisan warfare, Republicans see little path for Edwards to avoid punishment.

• House GOP leadership has not formally weighed in on the Ethics report released today, but in May, Speaker Mike Johnson called the allegations "serious" and "concerning."
• 💬 "Whether you're talking about a Republican or a Democrat, everyone is due due process. If an allegation is made against someone, that is not reason for expulsion or disciplinary action, people get a chance to present their case."
• "That's what the House Ethics Committee is all about," Johnson told reporters at the time.

🚗 Driving the news: The House Ethics Committee found Edwards violated House rules by "failing to adhere to the spirit of rules prohibiting sexual harassment of and unwanted advances to House staffers," according to its 25-page report.

• The findings follow our reporting that Edwards singled out two young female staffers in their 20s for special attention that multiple sources described as inappropriate.

The bipartisan committee recommended that Edwards be censured after concluding he "violated the Code of Official Conduct by failing to act in a manner that reflects creditably upon the House."

• That vote is likely to happen after the House returns from recess on Aug. 31.

What they're saying: Republicans are signaling the outcome may not be in much doubt. One House Republican, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), told us she will vote to censure Edwards.

• "Sexual harassment is completely unacceptable," Luna said.
• A House GOP leadership aide told us they don't see a path in which Edwards isn't censured.

Zoom out: Sabato's Crystal Ball shifted Edwards' reelection race in North Carolina's 11th District from "lean Republican" to "toss-up" Thursday.

• House GOP leaders are closely watching the race, a source told us, and Democrats view it as a prime pickup opportunity.
• "If a bipartisan ethics committee has acknowledged that there was some wrongdoing, I think it's going to be problematic for his campaign," retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) told reporters.
• 🗳️ Democratic challenger Jamie Ager has significantly outraised Edwards, and a censure on Edwards' record could further complicate his reelection prospects.

⏰ Flashback: The last time the House Ethics Committee recommended censure was in 2010 for Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.).

The bottom line: House censures have become increasingly common in recent years, and they're typically partisan exercises.

• Edwards' case could be different, with bipartisan support appearing likely after the Ethics Committee's findings.

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— Kate Santaliz