Republican senator Thom Tillis earlier this week met with White House officials to endorse Todd Blanche’s confirmation as U.S. attorney. Critics assert say Tillis, once a strong voice, now has diminished sway. The Senate suffered the loss of an influential member when Lindsey Graham died on July 14. This leaves more vacancies for top positions. The GOP fought over the SAVE Act throughout the week. Backers urged aggressively, but others described the effort feeble. They maintained the bill lacked a solid plan.