Trump cancels signing of bipartisan housing bill
As the stage literally was being set at the Capitol on Wednesday for President Trump to sign the housing bill that Republicans hoped would improve their election-year prospects, the president refused to sign until Congress passes his voting bill.
“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 said on Truth Social.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the decision to cancel the bill signing was the president’s call, but that “it’s an affordability issue, and eventually I hope he’ll find his way to sign it,” The New York Times reports.
At a meeting in the Oval Office with GOP lawmakers in recent weeks ostensibly to discuss housing affordability legislation, Trump “talked about his building stuff for all but about 15 minutes,” a person familiar with the meeting told NBC News.
“He then said, ‘I don’t care about housing, but if you want me to help, I will.’”
After refusing to sign the housing bill, Trump attended a private lunch with Republican senators. He and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La. — one of seven GOP senators who voted to remove Trump from office after the Jan. 6 insurrection and recently came in third in his primary after Trump endorsed one of his opponents — got into a shouting match over Iran.
On Tuesday, the Senate had passed a war powers resolution that Cassidy voted for.
“I am voting for war powers until I get a briefing,” Cassidy said after his confrontation with Trump.
Hours later, Cassidy received a personal briefing on the war at the White House from Vice President Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff and returned to the Capitol to vote against a new war powers resolution in a late-night vote aimed to “appease” Trump, according to The Associated Press.
“I want to thank Vice President Vance and Special Envoy Witkoff for the thorough briefing this afternoon on Iran. I appreciate the quick invitation to the White House to address many of my concerns,” Cassidy said.
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