President Donald Trump derailed a victory lap for congressional lawmakers Wednesday morning, abruptly canceling a midday news conference that had been scheduled for him to sign the most comprehensive piece of affordable housing legislation in a generation.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby cancelled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform.
The SAVE America Act is a controversial bill that would tighten regulations in federal elections by requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship. Advocates of the bill say it would protect against voter fraud, while critics say it would disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens who lack easy and affordable access to required documentation.
Trump was scheduled to meet with Senate Republicans on Wednesday to advocate for the SAVE America Act, CBS News reported, though Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., told the news outlet, “We don’t have the votes in the United States Senate to pass it currently.”
Despite the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act receiving overwhelming support from both Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and Senate, Trump described it as a “Warren centric housing bill” and “of minor importance” compared to the SAVE America Act in another Truth Social rant posted Wednesday morning, using a racial slur to describe Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
Warren was one of the co-sponsors of the bill along with Sen. Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina who chairs the Senate Banking Committee. She sharply criticized the president’s decision to cancel the bill signing ceremony during an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
“This just doesn’t make any sense, other than whatever it is he wants to do is a complete indifference to the cost squeeze on American families and to genuine efforts to do something about it,” Warren said. “You know, he could be over here trying to claim a victory lap, and instead he’s saying no, no, he doesn’t want anything to do with it. It’s because he really doesn’t care about American families.”
The Senate passed the housing bill Monday by an 85-5 margin, with the House following suit Tuesday in a 358 to 32 vote.
Messages of support and praise poured in from mortgage and housing industry leaders following the bill’s passage in both chambers.
“Homeownership remains one of the most effective ways to build generational wealth, yet the upfront costs of buying a home continue to keep too many families on the sidelines,” Miki Adams, president of CBC Mortgage Agency, said in a statement shared with Scotsman Guide on Tuesday evening. “The ROAD to Housing Act recognizes that downpayment and closing cost assistance are the bridge between a loan approval and a set of keys.”
Frank Cassidy, who recently stepped down as assistant secretary for housing and federal housing commissioner at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, told Scotsman Guide just before Trump’s announcement that the ROAD Act is an “important step toward increasing housing supply, reducing barriers to development, and expanding opportunities for American homebuyers.”
“Housing affordability is one of the greatest challenges facing working families,” Cassidy said. “This legislation reflects the kind of practical, pro-growth reforms needed to help make the American Dream of homeownership more attainable for the next generation.”
