president Donald Trump canceled on Wednesday via Truth Social a planned signing of a landmark bipartisan housing law which the leaders of both parties had declared a victory.
“Today’s housing press conference and signing is hereby canceled until we pass the much-needed deadline SAVE AMERICA ACTwhat I consider a national emergency. Thank you for paying attention to this matter!” Trump posted on Wednesday, just over an hour before he was set to sign the legislation at the Capitol.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike JohnsonR-La. and Senate Majority Leader John ThuneRS.D., both celebrated the adoption of the housing package, which both chambers cleared with overwhelming bipartisan support, an unusual feat in the sharply divided world congress.
The measure aims to do this Increase housing supplyMake homes more affordable and limit the number of single-family homes that private equity can purchase. It’s a measure that members of both parties are eager to campaign on ahead of the 2026 midterm elections Issues of affordability and cost of living play a key role. The two congressmen republican The leaders announced that Trump would sign the bill at Statuary Hall on Wednesday at noon ET.
But Trump downplayed the bill Truth Social post Then on Wednesday morning he rejected the signing entirely and said he would not act on the legislation until Congress approved the controversial ballot measure, known as SAVE America Act.
The SAVE America Act aims to restrict non-citizens from voting in US elections – what rarely occurs and is already illegal in federal elections – and introduces statewide voter ID laws. The House passed the SAVE America Act in February, and the measure is generally popular among Republicans. But without Democratic support, the Senate filibuster rule leaves the GOP well short of the 60 votes needed to pass the bill.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on June 22, 2026.
Andrew Harnik | Getty Images
Trump has called on Republicans to eliminate the filibuster or move the legislation to another, larger bill. He is scheduled to meet with Senate Republicans at the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon, and the signing of the housing bill was scheduled to precede that lunch.
Trump, in particular, was invited by the senator to meet with Republican senators. Rick ScottR-Fla., in contrast to Thune and the GOP leaders, as is usual. MS NOW reported on Wednesday, citing a person familiar with the plans, that Trump was still expected at lunch in the Senate.
The president has 10 days to sign or veto a bill, giving Congress little time to pass the SAVE America Act, widely opposed by Democrats and voting rights advocates, before time runs out.
“It’s a great piece of legislation that increases the supply of housing and the availability of credit to be able to afford houses. So it’s a question of affordability and I hope at some point he finds a way to sign it,” Thune told reporters at the Capitol after Trump canceled.
At a House Republican press conference on Wednesday, Johnson told reporters that the only likely way to get the SAVE America Act through Congress was through budget reconciliation – a process in Congress that allows the Senate to bypass the filibuster. It can only be used for spending and budget measures and allows controversial legislation to pass along party lines in the closely divided chamber.
But there are serious questions about whether an election bill like the SAVE America Act would be eligible for reconciliation under Senate rules. And the reconciliation process can be long and stressful.
“He, like most common-sense Americans, is focused on the SAVE America Act,” Johnson said. “I think the only way to do that is to put it on a reconciliation bill.”
Rep. French hillR-Ark, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and leader of the House housing bill, told CNBC on Wednesday: “Trump chose the day, and now he’s decided to change the day. So we’ll let him do that and we’ll see what he chooses.”
On Wednesday, for the second time in a week, Trump thwarted congressional Republicans’ priorities at the last minute by calling for passage of the SAVE America Act.
Last week, Trump chose Truth Social and directed Jay Claytonthe U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and the president’s standing nominee for director of national intelligence, did not appear hours before the scheduled Senate confirmation hearing began.
Senate Republicans tried to fast-track Clayton’s nomination to prevent this from happening Bill Pultethe head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, disqualified from the post of deputy DNI. Democrats and some Republicans rejected Pulte for the role, citing his willingness to attack Trump opponents while at the helm of the housing authority.
Trump’s attack on Pulte also derailed negotiations to expand a foreign surveillance provision known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Actwhich expired at the beginning of the month. Democrats have vowed to reject any extension as long as Pulte holds the DNI role.
“To add a little intrigue, but for the good of the nation and the people of our country, I will not approve FISA without the SAVE AMERICA ACT going along with it,” Trump posted on June 17, adding yet another twist to the already complicated negotiations.
Trump’s latest moves have angered some Republicans in Congress and set the stage for a potentially tense meeting on the Hill on Wednesday.
Democrats, meanwhile, argue that his cuts to the housing bill are proof that he doesn’t care about the cost of living for the average American.
“That just doesn’t make any sense, except that what he wants to do is complete indifference to the cost pressures on American families and to real efforts to do something about it,” Senator said. Elizabeth WarrenD-Mass., who co-led the housing bill in the Senate, said during an appearance on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street.”
“He could be over here trying to take a victory lap. And instead he says, no, no, he doesn’t want anyone to do that. That’s because he really doesn’t care about American families,” Warren said.
— CNBC’s Emily Wilkins contributed to this story.
