White House withholds signature on bipartisan housing measure, linking it to stalled voter ID legislation; Trump also clashes with Republican senators over Iran war powers resolution

A daily briefing on the latest developments surrounding Donald Trump and their global implications.

US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on Wednesday (local time). [EPA]
US President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office at the White House on Wednesday (local time). [EPA]

A sweeping housing supply bill passed both chambers of Congress with broad bipartisan support, but President Donald Trump withheld his signature Wednesday (local time), leaving the measure's fate uncertain for now.

The bill, designed to ease housing costs ahead of November's midterm elections, had won rare cross-party backing from both Republicans and Democrats. By tying his signature to a separate voter ID measure stalled in the Senate, Trump has sharpened tensions with members of his own party.

Trump had been scheduled to hold a signing ceremony at the Capitol for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which had already cleared both chambers, but he canceled the event.

He announced on Truth Social that "the press conference and signing of the housing supply bill is cancelled until the desperately needed SAVE America Act — which I consider a national emergency — is passed."

The SAVE America Act, commonly known as the voter ID bill, would require proof of citizenship for voter registration and sharply restrict mail-in voting.

Trump also said the housing supply bill was less important than the SAVE America Act or an interest rate cut.

Trump has long claimed that Democrats have exploited existing voting rules to commit election fraud, and he has argued that the SAVE America Act is essential for Republicans to win the midterms.

The bill passed the House but remains stalled in the Senate, where Democratic opposition makes its passage unlikely.

Trump has pressed Republicans to force through the SAVE America Act even if it means invoking a procedural move to end a Democratic filibuster.

The housing bill that cleared Congress Wednesday is a package measure combining several proposals from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle aimed at boosting housing supply and reducing residential costs.

The legislation eases regulations — including environmental impact assessments — to accelerate home construction and grants local governments authority to fast-track housing permit reviews. It also restricts companies that own more than 350 single-family homes from acquiring additional properties.

The Senate passed the bill June 22 by 85 votes to 5, and the House followed June 23 by 358 votes to 32.

The bill's passage reflects a convergence of interests between the two parties, both eager to demonstrate action on housing affordability ahead of the midterms.

For Republicans, a tangible policy win was particularly needed as Trump's approval rating has slipped amid rising prices and broader economic concerns.

Democrats backed the bill because it tightens restrictions on large real estate owners and offers relief to middle- and lower-income renters and buyers.

Despite canceling the signing ceremony, Trump proceeded as planned with a closed-door meeting with Republican senators at the Capitol.

CNN reported that Trump expressed strong displeasure at the gathering over the Senate's passage Wednesday of a resolution limiting his war powers regarding Iran.

Trump reportedly got into a heated exchange with Sen. Bill Cassidy over the Iran conflict, with raised voices on both sides.

When Trump asked who could possibly have voted for such a resolution, Cassidy pushed back, stressing the public's right to know. He pointed out that a military operation originally expected to last four weeks had stretched to four months, according to reports.

Cassidy had voted for the resolution the previous day. With Cassidy and three other Republican defections, the measure passed 50 to 48.

After the meeting, Trump told reporters it had been "a really great meeting" and praised Republicans as "a really unified party."

He added that he liked "everybody in the room," but then said, "I don't like a few of them, but that's OK — you know who I'm talking about," indirectly signaling the rifts within his caucus.

Trump's decision to withhold his signature on the housing bill has thrown into sharper relief the growing distance between the president and Republican congressional leadership.

The two sides have repeatedly clashed on major issues — including the Senate's passage of the Iran war powers resolution and internal pushback over a Justice Department-backed fund to support victims of judicial misconduct.

Senate Republican floor leader John Thune said the housing bill was "a great piece of legislation that increases housing supply and expands access to loans so people can buy homes," adding that he hoped Trump would "ultimately find a way to sign it."

Republican Senate leadership has indicated it is unwilling to neutralize the filibuster — a long-standing congressional tradition and symbol of bipartisan governance — to push through the SAVE America Act.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat and one of the housing bill's co-sponsors, criticized Trump for canceling the signing ceremony, saying he "acted like a petulant child refusing to sign" even after the bill had reached the finish line.


mokiya@heraldcorp.com