President Trump said he won’t sign a bipartisan housing bill and pressed lawmakers to shift their focus to the SAVE America Act, a voter-ID bill that he has pushed the Senate to pass.
The housing bill, dubbed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, already passed both chambers of Congress with overwhelming support. It will become law on Saturday unless Mr. Trump vetoes it.
“I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing the SAVE American Act,” Mr. Trump said Friday on Truth Social.
Mr. Trump said that for Republicans to keep their attention on the SAVE Act, they should eliminate the filibuster. There appears to be little appetite among the Republicans to remove the filibuster, which would let either party pass legislation with simply a majority vote.
“The SAVE America Act’s non-passage is crazy and a serious threat to any politician who votes against it! If the Dumocrats or any RINO (or worse!) working with them, do not allow a positive vote on SAVE America, terminate the filibuster and pass this, and every other bill that true Republicans have ever dreamt of,” Mr. Trump posted.
Mr. Trump shocked Washington last month when he canceled the signing of the housing bill.
That bill would prohibit large investors from buying up single-family homes and would create pilot programs to expand access to smaller mortgages, with a goal of increasing the housing supply.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, transmitted the housing affordability bill to the White House last week, starting the 10-day window for the bill to become law, excluding Sundays, even if Mr. Trump doesn’t sign it. The window expires Saturday.
Mr. Trump’s decision not to sign the housing bill frustrated some congressional Republicans, who touted the legislation as a key part of their affordability pitch to voters ahead of November’s midterms.
The president said last month that he disagreed with parts of the bill because it included some things that Democrats wanted.
“It’s very bipartisan — that means the Democrats like it,” he said. “They’re getting things that I wouldn’t necessarily agree to.”
A version of the SAVE America Act passed the House but was blocked by Democrats in the Senate. Mr. Trump has repeatedly pressed Senate Majority Leader John Thune to abolish the filibuster to get the bill passed, but the South Dakota Republican says his party doesn’t have the votes to do so.
Mr. Trump said passing the SAVE America Act is even more important after the Supreme Court’s ruling on Monday, allowing mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted.
The president has pushed for a version of the bill that would ban mail-in voting, with exceptions for active duty military and people who are disabled, ill or traveling.
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