On June 24, 2026, President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the signing of a major bipartisan housing bill, declaring he will withhold his signature until Congress passes the SAVE America Act. The move blindsided Republican lawmakers who hoped to campaign on the affordability measure ahead of the midterms. Trump's demands have escalated tensions with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who maintains the Senate lacks the 60 votes required to bypass the filibuster and pass the election bill.
Trump cancels housing bill signing
- ▪President Donald Trump canceled a scheduled Capitol Hill signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill on June 24, 2026
- ▪President Donald Trump characterized the bipartisan housing bill as being of minor importance and called it a Warren-centric housing bill
- ▪President Donald Trump announced he would not sign the bipartisan housing bill until Congress passes the SAVE America Act
Trump-Senate Republican tensions
- ▪Senator Rick Scott of Florida invited President Donald Trump to the Senate Republican Steering Committee lunch, bypassing traditional leadership invitation norms
- ▪President Donald Trump met with Republican senators at a Capitol Hill lunch on June 24, 2026, amid escalating tensions over legislative priorities
- ▪President Donald Trump endorsed primary challengers against incumbent Republican Senators John Cornyn of Texas and Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, both of whom subsequently lost their primaries
SAVE America Act push
- ▪U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper in Boston ruled on June 24, 2026, that several of President Donald Trump's requested election reforms are unconstitutional
- ▪Representative Anna Paulina Luna and a group of House Republicans vowed to block all House legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act
- ▪The SAVE America Act would impose strict new rules for voter registration, require proof of citizenship for all voters, and curtail mail-in voting
Bipartisan housing legislation details
- ▪The 21st Century Road to Housing Act was negotiated by Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren, and Representatives French Hill and Maxine Waters
- ▪The bipartisan housing bill aims to lower housing costs, streamline environmental reviews, speed up construction, and limit corporate purchases of single-family homes
- ▪The House of Representatives approved the bipartisan housing bill on June 23, 2026, following prior passage in the Senate
Senate filibuster vote obstacles
- ▪Senate Majority Leader John Thune stated that the Senate lacks the votes to eliminate the filibuster or pass the SAVE America Act
- ▪House Speaker Mike Johnson proposed passing the SAVE America Act by attaching it to a budget reconciliation measure to bypass the Senate filibuster
Jay Clayton nomination delay
- ▪President Donald Trump directed national intelligence director nominee Jay Clayton not to appear for his scheduled Senate confirmation hearing
- ▪President Donald Trump declared he would not allow Jay Clayton's confirmation or reauthorize warrantless surveillance under FISA unless Congress passes the SAVE America Act
- ▪Senate Republicans sought to fast-track Jay Clayton's confirmation to prevent Federal Housing Finance Agency head Bill Pulte from serving as acting national intelligence director
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