WASHINGTON, D.C. — What was supposed to be a rare bipartisan victory on Capitol Hill suddenly hit the brakes Wednesday morning.
President Donald Trump was expected to join Republican leaders for a major signing ceremony on a sweeping housing package. The bipartisan “21st Century Road to Housing Act” cleared both chambers of Congress with overwhelming support and is being hailed as the most significant housing affordability proposal in decades.
The abrupt cancellation of Wednesday’s scheduled signing ceremony is concerning for Republicans — especially those with tough midterm races — who were, and still are, hoping to lean on and tout the housing accomplishment back home on the campaign trail.
Lawmakers say the bill would boost housing construction, cut red tape, lower costs, curb large investors’ influence in the single-family market and create new pathways to homeownership.
Housing prices are still soaring and supply is struggling to keep pace. In Pennsylvania, for example, lawmakers say the commonwealth is short 100,000 homes and more than half the housing stock is over 50 years old. Home prices across the Keystone State have risen more than 75% since 2020. Supporters believe the legislation is a way to change those trends.
But just over an hour before the scheduled signing, Trump pulled the plug.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
The president is demanding action on his voter ID legislation before signing the housing bill. The SAVE America Act is largely considered a nonstarter among Democrats, who argue the bill would impede the voting rights of U.S. citizens.
The housing package includes provisions championed by Senators John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Dave McCormick, R-Pa. Those provisions include state workforce training programs, efforts to help communities increase affordable housing supply and home repair assistance — with Fetterman’s “Whole-Home Repairs Act,” modeled after Pennsylvania’s popular “Whole-Home Repairs Program.”
“Trump is running away from one of the very few accomplishments that could actually help the American people,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said.
“This is outrageous. This is a bipartisan bill that both members of the House and Senate, Democrats and Republicans, were ready to celebrate,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
Republican supporters of the housing bill expressed some disappointment privately, while remaining cautiously optimistic that the bill will become law.
Tensions were reportedly high between Trump and some Senate Republicans, including Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., during a closed-door meeting that followed the abrupt cancellation.
Democrats were not shy in blasting the president’s decision.
“Housing, as you know, is one of the number one issues in New York State. No matter where you live in New York, the cost of housing has gone up,” Gillibrand said. “We needed this bipartisan bill to streamline a lot of procedures. It put a lot of resources on the table. It was a win-win for everyone in America. So he’s cynical and he’s just not listening to the American people.”
Some House Republicans, including Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., understand why the president is demanding the House-approved SAVE America Act be passed by the Senate, too. However, Langworthy said he does not want the SAVE America Act to be the reason good legislation is derailed.
“I understand the president’s frustration. I’m frustrated with the Senate,” Langworthy said. “I believe in the SAVE Act, I believe in voter ID, I want to see it through. But I think we need to walk and chew gum at the same time. I do want to get bipartisan things done. I mean, we have a housing bill that will address affordability.”
The president has 10 days to sign a bill into law once passed by Congress, excluding Sundays. The clock started ticking after the Senate passed the bill Tuesday.
“Ten days. In my estimation, he’ll do it within that 10-day window,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said shortly after the president’s announcement.
Depending on the Congressional calendar, there are several different outcomes if Trump does not sign the bill within that window. Even if the president vetoes the bill, it’s possible it could receive the two-thirds vote necessary in both chambers to override the president’s veto.
Speaker Johnson is expected to meet with the president Thursday to discuss their legislative agenda, the president’s demands for voter ID and next steps for the housing bill.
