- Trump canceled the housing bill, putting the Save America Act demand ahead of it.
- The housing bill earned a veto-proof bipartisan majority in the House and the Senate
- Trump inaction means the housing bill becomes law automatically within ten days.
President Donald Trump canceled the signing ceremony for a landmark housing affordability bill hours before it was due to take place, announcing on Truth Social that he would not put pen to paper until Congress passes the Save America Act, his voter ID and proof of citizenship legislation.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby canceled until such time as we pass the desperately needed Save America Act, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump wrote.
A Rare Bipartisan Win Put on Hold
The housing bill passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support, making it one of the most broadly backed pieces of legislation in years. It was designed to address the country’s housing shortage by increasing home supply and providing grants to convert vacant buildings into affordable housing. A signing ceremony on Capitol Hill had been planned for midday, with considerable fanfare expected.
Trump called the legislation of minor importance, a characterisation that drew sharp criticism given it is the first housing legislation of its kind in decades.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who spoke with Trump for around 20 minutes before announcing the delay, said the president has consistently made the Save America Act a precondition for signing other bills since March. Johnson said he is working on a reconciliation bill, dubbed Reconciliation 3.0, that would include election integrity provisions tied to a federal grant programme for states that adopt voter ID measures.
The Legal Reality Creates a Complication
Trump’s move quickly ran into a constitutional wrinkle. If he neither signs nor vetoes the bill, and Congress remains in session, the legislation automatically becomes law after 10 days. A pocket veto, where inaction kills a bill, only works when Congress has adjourned.
Peter Schiff initially backed Trump’s refusal, saying the housing bill was bad policy and the Save America Act was worth demanding as a trade-off. He reversed that position within hours after being reminded of the 10-day rule. “The president’s gesture is empty,” Schiff wrote. “He should veto the bill outright.”
Democrats and Republicans Split on the Response
Senator Elizabeth Warren was direct in her criticism. “Congress actually passed legislation to do something about the housing crisis. But now Trump is acting like a child,” she wrote.
Johnson pushed back, framing the Save America Act as the foundation of election integrity and arguing that without secure elections, no other legislative achievement matters. He said no Democrat in either chamber has been willing to vote for the bill, and that the only viable path forward is through a reconciliation vehicle.
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