Trump abruptly cancels signing Housing bill, blindsiding Republicans
President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), abruptly cancelling plans to sign a bipartisan measure that could help
President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), abruptly cancelling plans to sign a bipartisan measure that could help spur more home construction. The President declared on social media that he now wants Congress to first pass a bill that would mandate stricter rules for voter identification in federal elections. “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 Emergency,” Mr. Trump said. Trump, who had also been slated to attend a closed-door Senate GOP luncheon for the first time in more than a year, has pressured senators for months to focus on his proof-of-citizenship voting bill even though it doesn't have the votes to pass. At the same time, he has blocked them from confirming one of his own nominees, asked them to fund parts of his White House ballroom project despite opposition and forced them to defend his Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame. By rejecting a public bill signing, Mr. Trump is also indicating a level of indifference to the affordability issues that are a leading concern for voters going into November's midterm elections. Trump has also helped whittle down his own support in the Senate after endorsing primary challengers to two GOP incumbents who were previously reliable votes for his agenda — Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy. Both men lost their primaries and have since become more critical of the President. Still, senators said before Mr. Trump's reversal on the housing measure that they had hoped to focus on unity, not disagreements. “If we're going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) ahead of the meeting. “We're not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.” It was uncertain, though, if Mr. Trump's visit could smooth differences with the Republican majority — or if GOP senators who have been increasingly vocal about their frustration will voice their concerns directly.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said a lot of his complaints with the administration have already been communicated. He said he hopes this meeting will be “conciliatory.” “That would be a big win for us tomorrow,” Tillis said on Tuesday (June 23, 2026). Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act Adding to the tension is Mr. Trump's increasingly distant relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. While Mr. Thune remains popular in his conference and cordial with the president, he has spent much of his time lately telling Mr. Trump what he doesn't want to hear. Thune said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) that while Mr. Trump and some in their conference want to see the voting bill pass, “it's just not realistic.” Mr. Trump has been pushing the Senate to eliminate the filibuster and pass the legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, which would create strict new requirements for voters to prove citizenship and show voter ID at the polls. He has also demanded that they add a ban on mail-in ballots to the bill as well as unrelated provisions to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors and prevent people born as men from playing in women's sports. “John is a leader and hopefully he can get the votes,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) on a trip to Pennsylvania, putting new pressure on Mr. Thune. Thune devoted weeks of floor time to the voting bill earlier this year and has said he supports it. But he has repeatedly said there aren't enough votes to scrap the filibuster that triggers a 60-vote threshold to pass most bills in the 53-47 Senate. And Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill. “Those are just hard realities,” Mr. Thune said. “And I think people at some point have to come to grips with that.“ Mr. Thune said he hopes the meeting is about “sitting down as a family” and figuring out their agenda in the remaining time before the election.
The BriefWire