President Trump scuttled a major bipartisan housing bill on Wednesday, using it as leverage to force Congress into approving his sweeping election reforms before any other legislative business moves forward.
The president abruptly cancelled a planned signing ceremony at the Capitol for the 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which had just won large majorities in both chambers after months of negotiation. Trump declared the housing measure of "minor importance" and vowed to withhold his signature until the Senate passes the Save America Act, his controversial legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and severely restrict mail-in voting access.
"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 in a social media statement.
The housing bill represented one of the most significant affordable housing initiatives attempted in decades. It aimed to reduce rents and home prices through deregulation, expedited environmental reviews, faster construction timelines, and restrictions on corporate landlords buying single-family homes. Democrats and Republicans had both championed the measure heading into the midterm elections, where housing costs are expected to dominate voter concerns.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer responded with frustration, accusing Trump of abandoning one of the few legislative wins that could actually benefit Americans. "The Save Act will not pass, Donald Trump. Get on board with this housing bill," Schumer said, adding that Congress had the votes to override a presidential veto.
The maneuver underscores Trump's willingness to weaponize legislative achievements to achieve his political priorities. The president had been scheduled to sign the housing bill, then attend a Senate Republican lunch that was meant to resolve a separate impasse over reauthorizing a key foreign surveillance law.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired earlier this month, has stalled over Trump's appointment of Bill Pulte, an inexperienced loyalist, as acting director of national intelligence. Democrats blocked renewal in protest, but a potential compromise emerged when Trump announced New York attorney Jay Clayton for the intelligence post. Trump then reversed course and said he would block Clayton's confirmation unless the Senate first passes the Save America Act.
That approach presents a mathematical problem. The Save America Act passed the House largely along party lines in February but has no realistic path through the Senate, where Democrats can deploy the filibuster to block passage with its 60-vote threshold.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump is betting he can squeeze the Senate into abandoning its democratic protections by holding housing relief hostage, but Schumer's right that this gamble could backfire spectacularly."
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