Trump cancels signing of housing bill, insists on passing SAVE America Act first

President Donald Trump on Wednesday abruptly cancelled the planned signing of a landmark housing affordability bill that passed Congress by wide bipartisan margins, saying he will not sign the legislation into law until lawmakers pass the elections bill known as the SAVE America Act.

Trump was scheduled to sign the bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, at the Capitol. The legislation aims to increase housing supply and bring down costs, including by limiting institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes.

“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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Under the Constitution, a bill that has passed both chambers of Congress and has been presented to the president automatically becomes law if he doesn’t sign or veto it within 10 days, excluding Sundays, as long as lawmakers are in session.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that the president told him he wants to see more progress on passing the SAVE America Act before he signs the housing bill.

“He has a window of time before he has to sign a bill, and he’s going to use a little bit more of that window of time,” Johnson said. “He’ll do it within that 10-day window.”

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Republicans tout the housing bill as a key accomplishment heading into the midterm elections, as affordability concerns are top of mind for voters. GOP leaders have struggled to pass significant legislation given their narrow majorities, particularly in the House.

The president is scheduled to meet with Republican senators on the Hill later in the day to discuss the SAVE America Act.

After Trump’s post, Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that the president’s move to cancel the housing bill signing was “his call to make.”

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Calling the housing bill a “great piece of legislation”, Thune said, “It’s an affordability issue, and eventually I hope he’ll find his way to sign it.”

Trump and his allies in Congress demand that the Senate take up the SAVE America Act, which would impose strict new limits on registering to vote and casting a ballot. But Republican leaders in the upper chamber have repeatedly said they do not have the votes to approve it or change Senate rules to push it through.

In an earlier post, the president downplayed the significance of the housing bill in comparison to the SAVE America Act.

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“The Elizabeth ‘Pocahontas’ Warren centric housing bill, which is of minor importance compared to lower interest rates, and even FISA, pales in comparison to passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” he wrote, referring to the Massachusetts Democratic senator who has been one of the main proponents of the bill.

The House approved the housing bill Tuesday evening by a wide bipartisan margin after the Senate passed the measure a day earlier.

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The housing bill includes provisions aimed at increasing development of affordable housing by removing regulatory barriers and streamlining environmental reviews.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the president is running away from one of the very few accomplishments that could actually help the American people by refusing to sign the legislation.

The housing bill gives Republicans a major legislative accomplishment at a time when the cost of living is a big issue in the November elections.