Trump cancels housing bill signing, demands elections bill first

Donald Trump canceled a planned Wednesday Capitol signing for a bipartisan housing bill hours before it was set to begin, tying the measure to his demand that Congress first pass the SAVE America Act. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act had cleared the Senate 85-5 on Monday and the House 358-32 on Tuesday, after the White House had said Trump would sign it at the Capitol.

The move stalled Congress’ first comprehensive housing legislation in decades, even though the bill had been assembled over months of bipartisan, bicameral talks led by Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott of South Carolina, ranking member Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, House Financial Services Chairman French Hill of Arkansas, and ranking member Maxine Waters of New York. The package aims to boost housing supply, lower housing costs, and speed up or waive some environmental reviews for construction projects, while also limiting how many existing single-family homes large Wall Street investors can buy.

Trump said on Truth Social that the signing was off until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which he called a “National Emergency.” He had already signaled that he viewed the housing measure as “of minor importance” compared with the elections bill. After the cancellation, it remained unclear whether Trump intended to sign the housing measure later or veto it.

The demand sets up another fight over a bill that has little chance of moving in the Senate. Republican leaders have said they do not have the votes to overcome a filibuster, while Senate Democrats have denounced the SAVE America Act as voter suppression. Trump has pressed Republicans for months to center the elections bill, which would impose new proof-of-citizenship and voter-ID requirements.

The housing bill had been framed by lawmakers as a rare bipartisan win and a potential Republican campaign talking point heading into the midterms. Supporters say the United States faces a shortage of millions of affordable homes, and they argue the package was designed to chip away at the supply crunch that has pushed ownership out of reach for many families as mortgage rates and home prices stay high. Trump’s cancellation put that legislative momentum on hold and turned a bill meant to ease the housing squeeze into leverage in a separate fight over elections.