WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump met with Senate Republicans on June 24 after declining to sign housing legislation as he called for senators to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, an election integrity bill that has faced headwinds in the upper chamber.
The discussion, which comes as tension has risen between some Senate Republicans and Trump over multiple issues, included a heated exchange between the president and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), one of several Republicans who supported the war powers resolution that passed the chamber on June 23.
Following the meeting on Capitol Hill, the president projected optimism in comments to reporters. He did not say what he told Republicans in the meeting.
“I think we had a really great meeting and we’re very proud of the party,” he said.
“We like our leader, we like everybody, really, in the room,” he said, noting that there were a few in the room he did not like, without naming them.
“For the most part, we have a really well-unified party.”
In addition to Cassidy, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are among the lawmakers who have grown increasingly critical of the president in recent months.
Cornyn and Cassidy lost their primaries to Trump-backed candidates, while McConnell decided not to run for reelection.
In comments to reporters, Cassidy and others in the meeting described a blow-up between the Louisiana senator and the president regarding the war powers resolution and the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States.
“I stood and said, ‘You have not told the American people what’s going on,’” Cassidy said. “‘It’s lasted four months. Our original objectives have not been achieved, and I want to know what’s going on.’”
The meeting comes after the president canceled a signing of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which was expected to take place before that discussion. The bill, Congress’s first major housing legislation in decades, is intended to boost housing supply and lower prices.
Trump said he would not sign the legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship in order to vote in federal elections and place restrictions on mail-in voting. Democrats have opposed the bill, criticizing it as voter suppression.
“Today’s Housing News Conference and Signing is hereby canceled until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency,” Trump posted on Truth Social.
In another Truth Social post, the president said the housing bill “pales in comparison to passing the SAVE America Act.” He repeated his call for Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster and pass the legislation and other measures “Republicans have ... dreamed of.” He warned that Senate Democrats would abolish the filibuster if they were to take power.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has maintained that Republicans lack the votes to abolish the procedural maneuver or to pass the SAVE America Act.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a leader of the conservative faction among Senate Republicans, has urged his fellow lawmakers to “vote every day” on the legislation or associated efforts to clean up voter rolls, mandate voter ID, and require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act received strong bipartisan support in Congress. It cleared the House of Representatives by a vote of 358–32, one day before the now-canceled signing ceremony, after previously passing the Senate with an 85–5 vote.
Lawmakers from both parties have placed greater emphasis on housing reform after housing prices and rents climbed significantly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. A shortage of available homes, combined with homeowners choosing to keep their low-interest mortgages, has helped drive up costs and slowed activity in the housing market.
