President Donald Trump enters the White House North Portico on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he canceled his plans to sign new legislation aimed at improving housing affordability. Photo by Allison Robbert/UPI | License Photo
President Donald Trump said Wednesday he won’t sign a housing affordability package passed by Congress this week until lawmakers approve the SAVE America voting 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 in a post on Truth Social.
He was originally scheduled to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on Wednesday, one day after the House gave it its overwhelming approval. The legislation seeks to lower housing costs, expand homeownership access, and limit corporate and institutional ownership for rental purposes.
The bill includes 60 pieces of legislation that would also seek to ease bureaucracy to hasten housing development, modernize federal housing programs and banking regulations, and incentivize local governments to prioritize housing.
The non-profit National Low Income Housing Coalition said the United States is facing a shortage of 7.2 million affordable units for low-income renters, resulting in a housing crisis in every state.
The House voted 358-32 and the Senate voted 85-5 in favor of the bill.
Trump was scheduled to meet with Republican senators Wednesday at a luncheon where they were expected to discuss differences among lawmakers. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said Trump has repeatedly pushed Republicans on the SAVE America Act, but there haven’t been enough votes to pass it.
If passed, it would require people to prove their citizenship before they can register to vote. Opponents to the law say it would disenfranchise millions of legitimate voters.
This week in Washington
President Donald Trump presents a Medal of Honor to Tom Ripley on behalf of his father, John W. Ripley, during a Medal of Honor award ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Thursday. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo
