President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly canceled plans for a ceremonial signing of a housing affordability bill at the Capitol, stunning lawmakers from both parties. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would withhold his signature from the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which would impose strict voter identification and proof-of-citizenship requirements.
Bipartisan Bill on Housing Affordability Derailed
The housing bill, a major bipartisan breakthrough, passed both chambers of Congress this week by overwhelming margins. It aims to reduce housing costs by speeding development and barring private equity firms from buying up single-family homes. Republicans had been planning to celebrate the bill’s passage in an election year when voters are furious about price inflation. However, Trump’s cancellation escalates his feud with Republican senators, particularly Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).
Thune has repeatedly said the SAVE America Act cannot get 60 votes in the Senate and that there are not 50 Republican votes for changing the rules to bypass a Democratic filibuster. The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification for voting, mandate states to purge voter rolls, and open them to lawsuits and criminal penalties—all addressing what critics call the imaginary threat of voter fraud.
Lawmakers React to Trump’s Surprise Move
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), one of the bill’s principal co-authors, told HuffPost on Wednesday: “We are in a housing emergency. This bill is a major step toward reducing housing costs for millions of American families, and Donald Trump just doesn’t care. Democrats and Republicans have worked together, both here in Congress and across the country, to put together a good bill. It’s time to get it passed.”
The housing bill would still become law without Trump’s signature in 10 days after Congress formally submits the bill. Trump did not threaten to veto the measure. It is not clear if a president has ever refused to sign a bill he supported in similar circumstances before.
Ceremony Dismantled, Tensions High
Shortly after the announcement, workers began dismantling a stage set up in the Capitol for a signing ceremony and removing the presidential seal from the lectern where Trump had planned to speak. Thune seemed stunned by the announcement. “I just heard that. I guess I would say, at this point, I don’t have any observations about that,” he told reporters.
Warren said she had no idea if Trump would let the bill become law. He supported the measure from start to finish, especially the private equity provision that Warren championed. He had even mentioned it in his State of the Union address on his prior visit to the Capitol. “Don’t ask me to rate Donald Trump’s tantrums. That’s not my specialty,” she said.
The president still plans to have lunch Wednesday with Republican senators, several of whom have loudly complained about his creation of an “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to reward Jan. 6 rioters and his appointment of an unqualified loyalist to head the government’s spy apparatus. Canceling the bill signing will only add to the tension.
