President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he won't sign a bipartisan housing bill until his SAVE America Act, which requires stricter guidelines to vote, is approved.
"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 in a social media post about an hour before the bill was set to be signed.
The White House has promoted the SAVE America Act as an election-integrity measure, saying it would require valid identification before registration, proof of citizenship, and sharply restrict mail-in ballots except for limited cases such as illness, disability, military service, or travel.
Voter ID has long been popular across party lines, but the SAVE America Act goes further than a simple ID requirement. The Bipartisan Policy Center warned that mail registration could be effectively weakened because some applicants would have to present documents in person.
In fact, a May poll found that voters like parts of the bill but not all. Conducted by Politico, it found that only 37% of Americans support the SAVE America Act overall, while 21% oppose it and another 21% neither support nor oppose it. The survey found 52% support for requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, but broader support drops when voters are asked about the bill as a whole, including its limits on mail voting and new federal requirements for election administration.
38% said the bill would make elections fairer by preventing illegitimate votes, while 32% said it would make elections less fair by blocking legitimate voters. Another 30% said they did not know. The strongest support came for individual provisions. About 52% support requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, while 18% oppose it. Another 17% were neutral, and 13% did not know.
The poll also exposes a practical problem, as only 57% of adults said they currently have access to a certified birth certificate with their current legal name, 50% said they have a government-issued photo ID that does not indicate citizenship, 36% said they have a REAL ID indicating citizenship status, and just 30% said they have a valid U.S. passport.
The housing bill, in turn, was popular among both Republicans and Democrats. It includes the boosting the building of homes and cracking down on large investors' ability to buy single-family homes.
The bill passed with a 358-32 vote a day after making it through the Senate by an 85-5 vote. Called the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, it includes funding and pilot programs to build new homes, while also easing some regulations and allowing local governments to accelerate reviews for projects.
