Trump ties housing bill to voter eligibility measure in congressional standoff

WASHINGTON, United States (MNTV) — President Donald Trump has declined to sign a bipartisan housing bill that passed both chambers of Congress with veto-proof margins, instead tying his approval to Senate action on a separate election measure, the SAVE America Act.

Trump announced the move on social media shortly before a planned Capitol ceremony, saying the event would be cancelled until Congress advanced what he called urgent voter eligibility legislation and casting the housing bill as a lower priority. 

The housing measure, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, cleared the House 358-32 after earlier Senate approval; it seeks to ease affordability by restricting large institutional investors from buying single-family homes and reducing regulatory barriers to new supply. 

Because it passed with broad bipartisan support, Congress could override a veto, and a pocket veto is unlikely if it remains in session through pro forma proceedings.

The SAVE America Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and tighten ID rules for federal elections. 

Supporters call it an election-integrity measure; voting-rights groups warn it could block eligible voters who lack ready access to citizenship documents and question whether states could verify documentation at scale. The bill has not advanced in the Senate, where it lacks the votes to clear procedural hurdles.

Democrats and the housing bill’s backers criticized the delay, arguing the measure addresses an urgent affordability crisis — home prices have risen sharply while high interest rates lift mortgage costs — and should not be held hostage to unrelated demands.