President Donald Trump canceled the signing ceremony for a bipartisan affordable housing bill, a move aimed at pressuring Republican lawmakers to pass a long-delayed federal voting restriction package. The action underscores internal party divisions and limits on Trump's power.
In a Truth Social post on Wednesday, Trump wrote: "Today's press conference and signing on housing is canceled until we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA Act, which I view as a national emergency." The SAVE America Act would require voters to show proof of U.S. citizenship and strict photo identification to vote in federal elections.
Trump said he would attend a closed-door lunch with Senate Republicans on Wednesday afternoon to lobby them to pass the measure. However, some Republican senators suggested this could be largely symbolic: the bill could still become law if the president does not sign it within 10 days, and lawmakers believe they have enough votes to override a presidential veto.
The affordable housing bill passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 358-32, after clearing the Senate on Monday 85-5. Passing such a major bill in a deeply divided Congress is rare.
The move comes amid high living costs in the U.S., with inflation rising significantly during Trump's second term—a top concern for voters in opinion polls.
Key provisions of the bill include waiving or expediting environmental reviews for housing construction projects and capping the number of pre-built single-family homes that large Wall Street investors can own.
According to housing industry groups, the U.S. is short millions of affordable homes. A combination of high mortgage rates, rising home prices, and supply chain issues over the past several years has strained consumers.
A survey released Tuesday showed that for the first time since 2023, a majority of U.S. consumers said they prefer buying a home over renting or living with family.
With less than five months before the November midterm elections—which could cost Republicans their majority—Senate Republicans are pushing back against Trump on multiple fronts: they forced him to abandon a $1.8 billion "anti-weaponization" fund and expressed outrage over his choice of an ally with no intelligence background to be the nation's top intelligence director.
On Tuesday, Republican Senators Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, and Bill Cassidy joined Democrats to pass a law preventing U.S. military action against Iran.
