“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 said.
Trump has been pushing the Senate to remove the filibuster in order to pass the SAVE America Act, which would introduce new voter identification requirements.
Democratic lawmakers say the measure as written would be a form of voter suppression.
Trump called off housing bill signing just as Republican leaders were praising it
The president’s announcement came at an awkward time for House Republican leadership, coming just as they were speaking at a press conference about the importance of the bill in addressing affordability — a key issue for voters this year.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise had just described it as “really important bill to lower housing costs.”
“Let’s show the American people what legislating looks like,” added Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill. “Let’s show the American people how you bring together and do something on a bicameral basis, and we did that.”
READ MORE: The Senate has passed a major housing reform bill. Here are 3 ways it could have a ‘big impact’
A reporter then asked about Trump’s cancellation as they took questions. Speaker Mike Johnson said he had spoken with Trump earlier Wednesday and was confident he would sign the bill.
“The president, when we go through the details of the bill, he’s going to understand that it’s a good product,” Johnson said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren says Trump is showing he doesn’t care about American families
The bipartisan housing bill was as close as it comes to a “Kumbaya” moment in Washington, but the Democratic senator who helped craft the measure said she couldn’t understand why Trump thought canceling the signing ceremony was a smart idea.
“This just doesn’t make any sense,” Warren said on CNBC, saying the only conclusion she could draw is that Trump has “a complete indifference to the cost squeeze on American families, and to genuine efforts to do something about it.”
The Massachusetts lawmaker said Trump is his own worst enemy when it comes to lowering interest rates to help make housing more affordable.
She said his tariffs, his energy policies and his Iran war have kept inflation running hotter than it should, keeping borrowing costs high.
House Democrat to Trump: ‘Stop the nonsense’
Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids of Kansas said Trump refused to sign the bill “all because of political games.”
“Families are struggling to afford a home,” she posted on X. “Stop the nonsense and sign the BIPARTISAN bill.”
An analysis by the Bipartisan Policy Center says the bill incorporates provisions from more than 60 measures introduced in the House, Senate, or both chambers—36 of which had bipartisan sponsors.
