Senate GOP Clash Over Budget, Hemp Ban, and College-Sports Reform Ahead of August Recess

At a Wednesday lunch meeting of the Senate Republican Conference, senior GOP senators sparred over three intertwined issues: Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s push to advance a budget resolution that would open a reconciliation pathway before the August recess; a White-House-added amendment in the continuing resolution (CR) that delays a ban on hemp-derived THC products; and the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan bill that would regulate compensation for college athletes. The disagreements threatened to turn the upcoming weeks into a “train wreck,” according to Thune, and raised concerns that multiple committees could be pulled into a chaotic “vote-a-rama.”

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• Budget reconciliation allows the Senate to pass legislation with a simple majority, bypassing a Democratic filibuster, but it also permits unlimited amendment votes that could expose Republicans to politically sensitive changes.

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• Continuing resolution funding expires on September 30, prompting a bipartisan effort to extend it to December 11. The CR includes language that would postpone enforcement of a ban on hemp-derived delta-8 THC until that date.

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• The Protect College Sports Act, drafted by Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz and Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, seeks uniform rules for athletes’ name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation. It faces opposition from Sen. Josh Hawley, who warns it could overturn state bans on transgender athletes.

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• The “anti-weaponization” fund earmarked for MAGA allies prosecuted under the previous administration totals $1.8 billion.

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• Funding for the federal government runs out on September 30 unless a CR is passed.

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• Susan Collins (R-Maine) cautioned that a floor debate on the resolution would be “politically unwise,” preferring to fund the Pentagon and farmers through the regular appropriations process.

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• John Thune said it was “probably hard to say” whether the Senate could move forward on the budget resolution and filed cloture motions to advance both the college-sports bill and the House-passed stock-trading ban.

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• Ted Budd (R-N.C.) posted on X that the hemp-derived THC amendment must be stripped from the CR, calling it a “life-threatening hemp loophole.”

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• Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) supported Budd’s amendment, stating, “I’d rather have the fight now than during the holidays.”

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• Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) objected to the college-sports bill, arguing it could invalidate state bans on transgender women athletes.

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• Ted Cruz (R-Tx.) defended the bill, insisting it does not alter Title IX and includes language to block eligibility for athletes who violate state law.

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• Rand Paul (R-Ky.) attacked the hemp-derived THC language, likening its supporters to “busy-bodies” who “watched ‘Reefer Madness’ in 1937.”

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• Josh Hawley warned that the college-sports reform could overturn bans in 27 states that prohibit biological men from competing in women’s sports.

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With the Senate set to enter a month-long August recess, GOP leaders must resolve the budget-resolution push, the hemp-derived THC amendment, and the college-sports bill before the September 30 funding deadline. Thune expressed optimism that bipartisan votes could be secured, but the outcome remains “up in the air” as cloture motions and amendment battles continue. Passing a CR that extends funding to December 11 will be a key measure of whether the Senate can avoid a shutdown and keep the agenda moving through the recess.

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