President Donald Trump canceled plans to sign a landmark bipartisan housing bill on June 24, demanding that Congress pass his stalled elections bill first, upending a rare moment of legislative consensus aimed at lowering housing costs.
“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 posted on Truth Social just over an hour before a scheduled Capitol Hill signing ceremony for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
The cancellation blindsided Republican leaders who had been promoting the housing bill as a major legislative achievement. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise had just called it a “really important bill to lower housing costs,” and Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill urged lawmakers to show the American people “what legislating looks like.” Speaker Mike Johnson said he had spoken with Trump earlier and believed the president would sign the bill once he reviewed its details.
The bipartisan housing measure had passed both chambers of Congress with overwhelming support. The bill aims to increase housing construction and reduce Wall Street purchases of single-family homes to address affordability, a top concern for voters. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, who helped craft the legislation, said on CNBC that Trump’s cancellation made no sense and reflected “a complete indifference to the cost squeeze on American families.”
The SAVE America Act (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act) would require voters to present proof of U.S. citizenship in federal elections. Trump has made the measure a top priority, but it has repeatedly failed in the Senate despite passing the House multiple times. The Senate rejected it on June 7, 2026, after weeks of debate. Trump has been pushing Senate Republicans to remove the filibuster to pass the bill, which requires 60 votes to overcome the procedural hurdle but currently lacks the support to reach that threshold.
In response to the cancellation, Speaker Johnson said he would attempt to pass the SAVE Act through budget reconciliation, a process that requires only a simple majority. This procedural route is typically reserved for fiscal legislation but has been used for other bills. The move would represent another attempt to bypass the Senate’s 60-vote requirement that has blocked the elections bill repeatedly.
The timing of Trump’s demand created tension with his own party. Republican Senator Tim Scott, chair of the Senate Banking Committee and a co-author of the housing bill, had been working on the legislation for months. Democratic Representative Sharice Davids of Kansas called on Trump to “stop the nonsense and sign the BIPARTISAN bill,” noting that families are struggling to afford homes.
Sources
- PBS News — Trump’s cancellation of the housing bill signing, his statement on the SAVE Act, and reactions from House Republican leadership and Senator Elizabeth Warren
- CNBC — Trump’s Truth Social post canceling the signing and details on the timing of the announcement
- NPR — History of the SAVE Act’s failure in the Senate and its requirements for voter identification
- The Hill — Speaker Johnson’s statement on attempting to pass the SAVE Act through reconciliation
- Democracy Docket — Senate’s rejection of the SAVE Act and Trump’s pressure on Republicans
- Bipartisan Policy Center — Details on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act’s provisions and bipartisan support
