President Trump abruptly canceled a planned signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill on Wednesday, declaring he would not approve the legislation until the Senate passes the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act. In a post on Truth Social, Trump called the voter ID measure a “National Emergency” and said the housing event would not proceed until the Senate acted.
The decision highlights growing friction between Trump and Senate Republicans, particularly Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). Trump has been pressing Thune to eliminate the filibuster to push the SAVE Act through, a move Thune has resisted. The housing bill had cleared both chambers with veto-proof majorities, but if Trump does not sign it within 10 days and Congress adjourns, it could be subject to a pocket veto. Congress is set to begin a two-week recess on Friday, though Senate leaders plan to hold pro forma sessions, preventing a formal adjournment.
Thune declined to comment on Trump’s move Wednesday, telling reporters, “At this point, I don’t have any observations about that.” The president was originally scheduled to travel to Capitol Hill to sign the bill and address the Senate Republican Steering Committee, but it remains unclear if he will still attend the meeting.
Republican senators have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump’s repeated demands for the SAVE Act, which has failed to advance five times on the Senate floor. The president has also refused to sign an extension of surveillance authorities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act unless the voter ID bill is attached. In a separate clash, Trump stunned Republicans by telling his nominee for director of national intelligence, Jay Clayton, to skip his Senate confirmation hearing, and by ignoring requests for a briefing on a memorandum of understanding with Iran. For more on these tensions, see Trump Clashes with Cassidy, Pushes SAVE Act as GOP Divisions Deepen.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) suggested Wednesday that the only viable path for the SAVE Act is through a reconciliation package, which would require only a simple majority in the Senate. “The only path, I think, to get that done, because you’re never going to get seven Democrats to join 53 Republicans in the Senate to do that. They will not do it. Chuck Schumer will never vote for that or release any Democrat to do it. You have to put it on a reconciliation bill,” Johnson said. He added that he had discussed the strategy with Trump earlier in the day, and the president asked, “Can we do it?” Johnson replied, “We can, if the Republicans will stand together.”
The standoff comes as Trump’s relationship with Senate Republicans continues to fray. Beyond the SAVE Act, the president has angered fiscal conservatives with a push for a $1.5 trillion defense and Iran war funding package, as detailed in GOP Fiscal Conservatives Resist Trump's $1.5 Trillion Defense and Iran War Funding Push. The housing bill’s fate now hangs in the balance, with the clock ticking toward a potential pocket veto if Congress does not formally adjourn.
This story was updated at 11:12 a.m. Alexander Bolton and Sudiksha Kochi contributed to this report.
