Senate Republicans are planning for days of marathon sessions as they try to put Democrats on defense over their controversial elections bill backed by President Donald Trump.

The strategy, described by two aides granted anonymity to comment on private deliberations, is emerging after GOP leaders signaled they will bring the SAVE America Act to the Senate floor next week.

But it will fall short of the “talking filibuster” that some hard-line conservatives want to force. That’s because leaders are still expected to move to curtail debate at some point by invoking existing Senate rules and setting up a vote at 60-vote margin — meaning it will fail given the opposition from Democrats and even some Republican senators.

Even so, GOP senators are preparing for a lengthy debate that is expected to stretch at least past the end of next week. The strategy could include scheduling overnight sessions and forcing Democrats to stay on the floor to prevent any Republican from calling a final vote on the bill.

Republicans are also preparing amendments that would reflect Trump’s expanded vision for the legislation to include banning transgender women from participating in women’s sports and prohibiting gender-affirming surgery for children.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday that Republicans are also talking through how to address Trump’s broad opposition to mail voting.

Many Republicans represent states that have long offered no-excuse mail voting, something Trump has railed against in recent statements.

“I understand his passion,” Thune said, suggesting Republicans would focus on “ballot harvesting” instead. “We’re working through what that actual proposal might look like and to address what I think is the real problem.”

GOP Rep. Kevin Hern announced his campaign Wednesday for an open Senate seat in Oklahoma to replace Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who President Donald Trump tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security.

Hern, who chairs the Republican Policy Committee, is the first high-profile GOP candidate to officially enter the race for Mullin’s seat, which was already on the ballot this year.

Trump nominated Mullin last week to lead DHS. He’d replace ousted Secretary Kristi Noem, whose leadership amid his immigration crackdown caused months of turmoil and negative press for the agency.

Trump’s choice of a sitting senator sets up a reliable path to confirmation, with some Senate Democrats already open to voting for their colleague in the chamber.

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt will have 30 days to appoint a temporary replacement to serve the remainder of the term. But per state law, the interim senator must pledge not to run for a full term — and with an already thin Republican House majority, Stitt may be less inclined to appoint a sitting House member.

In his announcement video, Hern positioned himself as a staunch Trump ally and defender of the president’s “America First” agenda. His campaign has already lined up support from several Senate Republicans, including Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).

First elected to Congress in 2018, Hern currently represents Oklahoma’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Tulsa.

The filing deadline for the seat is April 3, and the primary election will take place June 16.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Wednesday suggested that the Justice Department should admit it made a mistake by launching an investigation related to Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell.

Asked by reporters about a potential off-ramp to his objections to moving any Fed nominees — including President Donald Trump’s pick for chair, Kevin Warsh — until the DOJ probe is resolved, Tillis responded: “I’m not going to try and help them out of a box canyon.”

“There’s one way out of a box canyon,” he added. “It’s admitting you made a mistake.”

The Justice Department issued subpoenas in January to the Fed, probing Powell’s statements to Congress about the central bank’s headquarters renovations. The probe was revealed by the Fed chair himself in an unprecedented video message where he accused the administration of using the investigation to pressure him to lower interest rates. Tillis has expressed similar fears.

“You got seven witnesses at this alleged scene of the crime — Republican members of the Banking Committee, including the chair, who said no crime was committed,” Tillis said. “What part of this is not reaching the point of the absurd?”

The senator also said in a post on X that he was awaiting clarification from the D.C. District Court, an apparent reference to an effort by the Fed to challenge the subpoenas. Typically, pre-indictment grand jury proceedings remain sealed.

Tillis said it was his hope that the issue would be resolved in time for Warsh to be confirmed to take over as Fed chief when Powell’s term ends in May.

He met with Warsh on Tuesday and said in his post that, “He possesses impeccable credentials and a clear vision for maintaining the Fed’s independence while achieving its dual mandate. It is unfortunate that an ongoing investigation prevents me from voting.”

Connor O’Brien and Kyle Cheney contributed to this report.