Trump Cancels Signing of Bipartisan Housing Bill, Tensions High Among GOP

President Trump on Wednesday cancelled the signing of bipartisan housing legislation saying he'll only sign it after Congress passes the SAVE America Act, which would implement stricter voter regulations.

The Details: The House and Senate this week both passed bipartisan legislation that aimed to lower housing costs and prevent institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes. The bill, called the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, also included provisions to reduce federal regulations, streamline environmental reviews and elevate small banks in providing home loans. Separately, the SAVE Act would require proof of citizenship and proof of photo identification to vote in elections. 

For Context: Also on Wednesday, the Senate voted to limit Trump's war powers on Iran, which many news outlets suggested was a factor in Trump's decision to not sign the bill.

Word Choice: Outlets across the spectrum used descriptive words that significantly emphasized Trump's actions and the bipartisan nature of the housing bill. Some alleged that Republicans were "blind-sided" by the decision. When referring to him cancelling the bill, the Washington Post (Lean Left bias) and New York Post (Right) both said he "abruptly" canceled the signing; CNN (Lean Left) said he "dropped a bombshell"; Rolling Stone (Left) said Trump was holding the legislation "hostage"; The Los Angeles Times (Lean Left) said Trump wouldn't sign in "a striking decision to jeopardize a rare bipartisan success." Outlets also noted the Housing Act passed in both the House and Senate with "overwhelming" bipartisan support and was a "rare" bipartisan accomplishment. CNN and Los Angeles Times called it a "landmark" housing bill.

Passing the SAVE Act: Washington Post quoted an anonymous White House official who said Trump realized he could "use the housing bill as leverage" and "apply additional pressure" to get the SAVE Act passed. Los Angeles Times said Trump's effort is "rooted in baseless claims or voter fraud and cheating" and that his decision "underscored his apparent indifference to the cost-of-living issues voters are most focused on." Right-leaning outlets like the Washington Times (Lean Right), Washington Examiner (Lean Right) and The National Desk (Right) mentioned Republican concerns about the cancellation and that there aren't enough votes to pass the SAVE Act. Meanwhile, the Daily Wire (Right) and Fox News (Right) emphasized Trump's frustration with congressional members and the importance of voting regulations. The Daily Wire said Trump gave "Washington a taste of its own medicine" by "refus[ing] to sign."

Tension With Republicans: Following the cancellation, Trump had a meeting with Republican lawmakers reportedly focused on the earlier Senate vote on war powers where he "harshly reprimanded" Republicans who've opposed him on the Iran War, according to the Daily Signal (Right). CSPAN (Center) and the Daily Signal shared differing sentiments of the meeting, with the Daily Signal quoting several Republican lawmakers who said Trump was frustrated and that the meeting was "mostly the president sharing his views." CSPAN quoted Trump saying, "I think we had a really great meeting…I don't like a few people, but that's okay." Rolling Stone reported that lawmakers were "not happy" with Trump for canceling the signing and that Trump called one Republican lawmaker a "lunatic" during the "chaotic" Senate meeting.

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