President Donald Trump derailed a housing overhaul that he was set to sign into law Wednesday, canceling a signing ceremony for the broadly popular bipartisan bill until Congress passes an election security measure.
Trump had been scheduled to sign the bill, which passed the Senate Monday and House Tuesday with wide margins, during a Capitol ceremony.
But in a pair of social media posts prior to the event, he derided the overhaul aimed at lowering housing costs as “minor” before refusing to sign it entirely.
“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 his social media platform, Truth Social.
The controversial SAVE America Act, a top priority for Trump, addresses the extremely rare phenomenon of noncitizen voting. Republican senators have told Trump there are not enough votes in the chamber for it to pass.
The housing bill’s Senate sponsors, Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott and ranking Democrat Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, sought to lower the costs of housing construction by removing regulatory barriers, expanding the uses of federal housing grants and banning institutional investors from buying single-family homes.
Scott, a South Carolina Republican, lauded the bill Tuesday as not only bipartisan, but nonpartisan, addressing universal needs.
Republican leaders framed the measure as addressing affordability, which is expected to be a key issue in November’s midterm elections amid stubborn inflation.
The measure, which combined elements of proposals in each chamber, appeared on a fast track to becoming law after the Senate approved it 85-5 Monday and the House voted 358-32 Tuesday. The White House had said Trump supported the bill.
The House opponents were virtually all from a group of conservatives, led by Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna, who said she would oppose all legislation from the Senate, and even some House rules resolutions, until the Senate passed Trump’s elections security measure.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said during a Wednesday morning press conference that he spoke with the president earlier in the day and that he is going to delay signing the housing bill until Congress approves a grant program for elections through the complex budget reconciliation process. That’s the same procedure the GOP used to enact its “big, beautiful” law and $70 billion for immigration enforcement.
“You have to put it on a reconciliation bill,” he said. “We believe that if you create a grant program that ties it to reconciling the budget and you allow blue states, if they come to their senses and they want to avail themselves of election integrity proposals and ideas and policies, they can draw down from a federal fund and use those funds. We’re willing to invest heavily in that.”
Johnson said he told Trump that Republicans in Congress can enact that policy if they “stand together.”
“As you know he has a window of time before he has to sign a bill and he’s going to use a bit more of that window of time,” Johnson said. “And we’re going to go through this together.”
Johnson said he expects Trump to sign the housing bill within the 10-day window.
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PaulT says
I’m sure the GOP faithful won’t mind digging out their birth certificates and passports so they cane prove their citizenship to the masked UCE ‘guard dogs’ who are likely to be patrolling our polling stations in November.
As it stands we can still vote by mail. Trump’s executive order to ban USPS delivering ‘unverified’ mail in ballots has been ruled illegal by a judge, but who knows how the Trump owned SCOTUS majority will react if an appeal lands in their laps…
Sherry says
The move of a madman who really does think he’s an “Emperor”! Hopefully the “spineless” Congress will manage to override his strong armed demands! Despicable!!!
Jim says
I think it must be very hard for Republican senators and congressmen to walk the halls of Congress without any spine at all. It’s got to be painful and I’ll bet they meander all over.
But I’m enjoying this continuing trip to November mid-term elections. Never have I ever seen a political party take more opportunities to point a shotgun at their own foot and pull the trigger over and over. You’d think that they’d learn after 100 or more times but no…
So, DJT and Senators, thanks for the entertainment. The most cynical comedic writer could not come up the the continuing plot twists seen in Washington, DC daily.
And it just makes the green Reflecting Pool just that more a perfect metaphor for these times!
Marci Irwin says
Not sure what your point of view comes from, only USA citizens should be voting, I see your opinion noted the amount of illegal votes is small. What difference does it make? Missing the point that more than 80% of us citizens want this legislation. There should be NO illegal votes that are cast. This is a bigger problem than just voting it’s the issue these folks cane here illegally and the last administration flooded our country with them
Deborah Coffey says
Please get better informed. *80% of citizens do NOT favor the Save America Act; they favor showing ID in order to register and to vote. One of the main purposes of Donald Trump’s bill is to keep women from voting so, it’s obvious that you haven’t read the bill. Does your birth certificate have the exact same name on it as all of your ID today? If not, good luck getting the names to match because you’ll need those names to be a match on all your documents.
BDT says
This is a ridiculous statement that Trump does not want women to vote. We do not want anymore cheating! It seems the only way Democrats win is by cheating! Why were they covering the windows at the polls! Oh nothing to see here! I do not mind show my ID and or passport in support of fair elections!
Sherry says
@bdt. . . either post credentialled factual “EVIDENCE” that our elections are NOT honest and fair, or we will all understand that you can do nothing but repeat Fox BS propaganda and conspiracy theories. Thanks!
Laurel says
Hey BDT: Just grab the stupid, liar, corrupt, horse face piggies by the pussy, right?
Are you really that naive? Those were Trump’s words about women, and I left a lot out. Not to mention he thinks his daughter is hot.
Change the channel and see what’s really going on in the world.
Koyote says
“There should be NO illegal votes that are cast.”
Agreed..
There should also be NO convicted Felons as President, either … but, there ya go.
Sherry says
@ marci. . . when you get beyond Fox entertainment/newsmax/facebook. . . your statement is incorrect:
Overall Support: Only 28% of Americans support the specific SAVE America Act, while 31% oppose it.
Lack of Awareness: A large portion of the public remains unsure about the legislation, with about half of Republicans admitting they don’t know the specifics of the bill.
Voter Disenfranchisement: 57% of Americans believe that the citizenship requirements proposed in the bill would either mostly prevent eligible legal citizens from voting or would impact both eligible and ineligible voters equally.
Party Divide: Even within the GOP, only 60% explicitly support the legislation, with many remaining unsure due to a lack of familiarity.
PaulT says
Non-citizen voting in the US is statistically insignificant.
But what about the equally, or perhaps more, prevalent problem of US citizens who are double registered and vote strategically across state lines or in some cases vote twice? The SAVE act does even address that.
And don’t protest that it doesn’t happen:
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/local/2023/01/30/4th-resident-of-the-villages-admits-to-voting-twice-in-the-2020-election/
and:
https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/double-registration-and-strategic-voting-across-state-lines
Trump’s aim isn’t election integrity, it’s vote suppression.
Skibum says
Marci, get real, girl!
Convicted felons are supposed to have their voting privileges taken away due to their criminal conviction(s), and are supposed to have to go through a formal process outlined in FL law if they wish to have their right to vote restored. But the 34 time felon in the WH, who is a legal FL resident of Mar-A-Pedo, still continues to vote. Why? And not only that, he continues to vote by mail-in ballot, when he is trying to pass a law making it illegal for everyone else to do so. Why? He says “Because I am president.”
If you are so bent on cracking down on criminals and illegal voting, the sex abuser convicted felon con man in the WH should be making his ridiculous and false daily statements looking out through the bars of his cell while his bunk mate, Bubba, sneers and fondles himself in the background. And there should be NO special allowance made for one criminal president to be allowed to vote in a way that he is trying to outlaw for each and every one of us simply because he thinks he is above the law an can do whatever the hell he wants!
melly says
The voting restrictions in question are already the law in many states, such as Florida.
You know, like providing identification.
Deborah Coffey says
No, they aren’t. Showing ID won’t be nearly enough for women! READ the bill.
Pogo says
The holy war attitude of the right, and left, in this country is carving in stone the monument over mankind’s grave.
Look at the reports from the latest earthquakes. As the world’s governments and economies collapse — who in hell will answer the calls to 911? Oh, right; a committee of well fed, comfortably clothed and housed, highly educated, highly evolved UN bureaucrats will start debating — where to have lunch.
Richard says
What Florida needs is to make voter records private. You can look up anyone’s voter information with just a name and date of birth on the State website. In Virginia by contrast, you need; name, dob, city where they live and last 4 of their social AND it is ILLEGAL to look up anyone other than yourself.
Florida has basically no privacy the Sunshine Law is archaic this is not 1975
Sherry says
Federal law is clear that only U.S. citizens are permitted to vote in federal and state elections. Currently, states decide how to enforce this requirement. All states require new voters to attest to their U.S. citizenship when they register, and all states conduct voter list maintenance to identify potentially ineligible voters on the rolls. How they do that varies.
ALTHOUGH THERE IS “NO” EVIDENCE OF SIGNIFICANT VOTER FRAUD: The SAVE America Act would require states to collect and document proof of citizenship from voters, which few states currently do, and establish additional voter list maintenance processes. A recent University of Maryland study indicates that as many as “21 Million Eligible Voters” do not have easy access to documents proving citizenship.
MAJORITY OF MARRIED WOMEN MUST SIGN LAWFUL AFFIDAVITS – While prior versions of the bill would require the name on the ID to exactly match the name on the provided documentary proof of citizenship, such as a birth certificate, the most recent version would allow individuals who have changed their names to provide an affidavit attesting to the name change to prove citizenship. This provision was added after concerns about the ability of married women or others whose birth names don’t match their current legal names to register to vote.
The bill would implement a strict photo ID requirement for federal elections and specify the types of identification accepted. While 36 states currently have voter ID requirements to vote, state approaches vary. Just 10 states fall into the strict photo ID category, as defined by NCSL.
The bill’s identification requirements also specify that a voter ID document must indicate that the individual is a U.S. citizen. A handful of states denote citizenship status directly on driver’s licenses, and while applicants for REAL ID cards provide documentary evidence of citizenship status, the cards display the same gold star insignia for a citizen as for a lawfully present noncitizen. Currently, each state determines the types of ID acceptable to vote, and that often includes student IDs, hunting and fishing licenses or other state-specific identification cards.
The bill would require voters registering to vote by mail to submit documentary proof of citizenship, which states do not currently require. It is unclear how the bill would affect online voter registration, which is an option in 42 states.
YOU MAIL BALLOT WOULD REQUIRE THAT YOU SEND COPIES OF YOU ID AND AFFIDAVIT EVEN IF YOU ALREADY PROVIDED EVERYTHING WHEN YOUR “REGISTRATION” WAS APPROVED: The bill would require voters to submit a photocopy of their identification both when applying for and when submitting absentee/mail ballots, which most states do not currently do.
The bill does not authorize federal funding for the new state responsibilities it creates, and it includes no phase-in period. If the bill passes, the requirements imposed on states would be effective immediately.
States that can’t comply might face running state and federal elections separately, with separate procedures, or they might have to keep separate lists of voters who have not provided proof of citizenship and permit them to vote only in state or local races. Arizona already has such a “bifurcated” process, which has seen a stream of litigation dating to 2004.
The bill would require states to run their voter lists through the Systematic Alien Verification of Eligibility system to identify potential noncitizens on the voter rolls. Many, though not all, states use this system as one resource for identifying potential noncitizens, but not at the frequency this bill envisions.
YOUR PRIVACY INVADED: There are also questions about the personal voter information states would be asked to provide to run records through the database.
INDIVIDUALS CAN SUE IF THEY DON”T LIKE THE WAY THE ELECTION IS RUN AND PERHAPS EVEN WHO IS VOTING: The bill also includes a private right of action, allowing individuals to sue if they feel the law is not properly enforced.
CRIMINAL PENALTIES FOR POLL WORKERS/VOLUNTEERS: It would establish criminal penalties for election officials who mistakenly register an applicant to vote who has not presented proof of citizenship.
Sherry says
Y’all need to tune in regarding the posting that wack job trump is doing in the middle of the night. . . this is downright scary:
https://www.youtube.com/live/E5Z9wa7dcu8
Skibum says
Seldom do we have both sides of the aisle come together in a bipartisan effort to overwhelmingly vote as one body of lawmakers for a bill designed to help Americans who are increasingly being priced out of the American dream of home ownership. This bill is, or would be if signed into law, a win for average Americans, and certainly could help the republican lawmakers who know they are facing tough odds for their political party’s candidates in a few short months.
But the orange faced menace just could not let his own party’s congressional delegation take the win. Nope, just like usual, everything has to be about the convicted felon president. Despite knowing, and being told by multiple GOP leaders that they do not have the votes in the Senate to pass the pedo prez’ voter suppression “SAVE ACT”, he is demanding that it is voted into law before he will sign the bill to help prospective homeowners. His needs are always the ONLY thing that matters to the petulant man-child, who is apt to throw tantrums whenever he doesn’t get his way.
It is so transparently obvious that there never was any “art of the deal”, only threats, intimidation, coercion and bribery in his mob mentality tool box. Anyone who continues to support a man so bereft of ethics, morality, truthfulness, or the respect of others are merely lost souls.
Ray W. says
As for the affordable housing bill, The Cool Down reports on Harvard University’s annual report on the nation’s cost and stock of housing.
Each year, the university publishes a report on the “State of the Nation’s Housing.”
Here are some bullet points from the study:
– The average home selling price for both new and existing homes is above $400k.
– The housing market, in the reporter’s words, is largely “at a standstill.”
– Sales of existing homes are at a three-decade low.
– Inventories of existing homes, facing higher prices, are rising.
– Existing home sales prices are five times average income, up from roughly three times average income in the 1990’s.
– Total new home starts of all kinds dropped by 1% in 2025, over the figure for 2024, but total single-family new home starts dropped by 7% over 2024.
– In 2025, renters were more likely to renew leases and less likely to move into “new occupancies.”
-According to the reporter, demand for homes, either new or existing still exists, but potential buyers are less able to afford to buy homes.
Make of this what you will.
Me?
I do not claim to be a housing expert. At best, I am a curious student.
For quite some time I have accepted the idea that there exists a younger generation emerging into full financial maturity that no longer believes that Social Security will survive for them. Many of these ambitious and hard-working people do not believe in the existence of a long-term stable economy that will offer to them a share of the wealth that they have a hand in generating.
More than 100 years ago, Winston Churchill understood that 70% of a nation’s economic activity came from producing goods that are immediately consumed, which idea is the foundation of today’s monthly Personal Consumption Expenditures report, which report the Fed is said to favor above other inflation reports.
If young people struggle to afford the goods that fall into the category of consumable goods, how are they to then afford the durable goods like homes?
Again, I don’t claim to have answers. Questions, perhaps. Has it become far easier for many among us to apportion blame than it is for them to actually understand what the peers of my four children have come to believe?