Housing affordability remains a top concern for Americans, and for a brief moment, it looked like Washington might deliver. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a rare bipartisan effort, cleared Congress with strong support from both parties. Its aim was straightforward: reduce housing costs, cut bureaucratic red tape, and make homeownership more attainable.
But just an hour before President Trump was set to sign the bill into law, he pulled the plug. In a Truth Social post, Trump announced the cancellation of the signing ceremony, writing: “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.”
The SAVE Act, a voter ID bill, would require voters to present documents like a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers when registering. Supporters argue it’s necessary to prevent noncitizen voting in federal elections. However, federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting, with penalties including prison time, fines, and deportation. Studies show the problem is virtually nonexistent. The Brennan Center found suspected noncitizen votes accounted for just 0.0001% of 23.5 million ballots reviewed. The Heritage Foundation’s election fraud database identified only 23 cases of noncitizen voting over nearly two decades, while the Bipartisan Policy Center found 77 cases nationwide between 1999 and 2023.
State audits tell a similar story. Reviews in Texas, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and California found fewer than 50 noncitizen votes in elections involving tens of millions of ballots. Election integrity is important, but the SAVE Act targets an issue that evidence suggests is already extremely rare, while potentially creating hurdles for millions of eligible voters who lack easy access to citizenship documents.
The bill also faces a steep climb in the Senate. Majority Leader John Thune has acknowledged there aren’t enough votes to pass it. Republicans hold 53 seats, but overcoming a filibuster requires 60 votes, meaning at least seven Democrats would need to cross the aisle—a prospect with no signs of materializing. Trump has urged Republicans to eliminate the filibuster to push the SAVE Act through.
This isn’t the first time Trump has tied other priorities to the SAVE Act. Days earlier, he pushed to attach it to the reauthorization of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Now, a bipartisan housing package has become the latest casualty. The move has stalled a bill that could have made a real difference on an issue Americans consistently rank as a top concern.
Housing reform is now in limbo while Washington debates a voter ID measure that has no clear path through the Senate. The standoff underscores the broader political dynamics at play, as Trump leverages must-pass legislation to advance his agenda. For now, the housing bill—and the Americans who need it—remain caught in the crossfire.
For more on the political landscape, see our coverage of conservative discontent with Trump's grip on the GOP and the Supreme Court's recent rulings on Trump immigration policies.
