President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony to enact a bipartisan spending package aimed toward making housing more affordable, vowing not to sign any legislation until the SAVE America Act is passed.
The announcement via social media came as a shock to Republican leaders on Capitol who, in the moments leading up to Trump’s post, were touting the housing package as a win for the party’s affordability agenda. But the cancellation is a win for Utah Sen. Mike Lee, who has pushed to make his flagship election bill the top priority — a campaign supported by the president.
“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.
Lee was quick to praise the decision, reposting Trump’s announcement with the missive: “The message is clear: Pass the SAVE America Act!”
The canceled signing ceremony came less than an hour after Trump derided the bipartisan housing package in a separate social media post, calling it “of minor importance” compared to other legislation. Meanwhile, Republican leaders in the House touted the package as a major win for affordability — an issue they want to highlight heading into the midterm elections.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., appeared surprised by the news, telling reporters: “I guess I would say at this point I don’t have any observations about that.”
House Republican leaders learned of the news during a press conference on Wednesday morning after spending much of their opening remarks praising the housing legislation. But House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., backed Trump’s sentiments that he wants the SAVE America Act passed.
“He has expressed his priority and preference of the SAVE America Act,” Johnson said. “We share that.”
Can Republicans pass the SAVE Act?
It’s not yet clear what’s next for Republicans’ legislative agenda. Trump reiterated his vow not to sign any legislation until the sweeping election reform bill is approved, but Republican leaders have largely conceded the package does not have a path forward in the closely divided Senate.
Senate Republicans are set to meet with Trump for a closed-door meeting on Wednesday afternoon, during which the SAVE America Act and the now-stalled housing bill are expected to be discussed.
“The facts on the ground are very clear. There are not the votes to nuke the filibuster, and there aren’t going to be 10 Democrat votes to all of a sudden support the SAVE America Act,” Thune said on Tuesday. “Those are just hard realities, and I think people at some point have to come to grips with that.”
Lee, meanwhile, has shown no signs of giving up.
The Utah senator has posted dozens of times over the last two weeks demanding the Senate consider the SAVE America Act, Lee’s election reform bill that has stalled due to its inability to overcome the 60-vote filibuster. Lee has argued the bill could pass simply by wearing down Democrats in a marathon debate session — but top Republican leaders are asking Lee to drop the issue altogether.
This story is developing and will be updated.