President Trump abruptly shelved plans to sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill Tuesday, demanding Congress first pass the Save America Act before he will put pen to paper on the housing measure.
The White House confirmed the decision without advance notice, upending what had been one of the rare legislative agreements between the two parties in the current Congress.
The housing bill was designed to reduce costs for buyers and renters across the country. It had cleared committee with votes from both parties, an outcome increasingly uncommon in Washington.
Trump's condition — passage of the Save America Act, which would dramatically alter federal voting regulations — immediately stalled the housing measure's path to law.
The Save America Act has drawn sharp opposition from Democrats, who argue it is designed to restrict ballot access. Republicans have described it as an election integrity measure.
No White House timeline was given for resuming action on the housing legislation. Congressional leaders in both chambers had not publicly responded to the demand as of Tuesday afternoon.
The housing bill now sits in limbo unless Trump reverses course or Congress moves the voting legislation through both chambers, a prospect that remained uncertain as of Tuesday.