U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson met President Donald Trump on Thursday (June 25, 2026) in hopes of defusing a standoff with Congress ‌over a stalled package of national voting restrictions that the president views as his top legislative priority.

A day after ​a contentious closed-door meeting between Mr. Trump and Senate Republicans, hardline Trump allies led by U.S. Representative Anna Paulina Luna effectively shut ⁠down the House floor until the Senate passes a voter ID bill, known as the SAVE America Act, which the Senate has tried and failed to pass five times since March.

The Republican President used a similar tactic on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) to pressure Senate Republicans by pulling out of a signing ceremony for a popular bipartisan housing ‌bill. Republican leaders had hoped to showcase the bill as evidence they are addressing the high cost of living, the top issue for voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Johnson were expected to discuss a legislative path forward for the SAVE ‌America Act and rescheduling the signing ceremony for the housing bill. Mr. Johnson is the top Republican in the House.

Mr. Johnson told reporters after the ‌meeting ⁠that Congress would transmit the unsigned housing bill to the White House and move forward on other legislation, with Mr. Trump ⁠calling for an end to any further legislative roadblocks from Republican members.

“He wants to ensure that we stop any blockade in the House. Congress has work to do and that’s what we’re going to do,” Mr. Johnson said without mentioning the SAVE America Act.

“We’re on exactly the same page,” Mr. Johnson said of Mr. Trump and himself.

The White House did not immediately ​comment on the meeting.

Debate over priorities before elections

Hours after ‌Senate Republicans met with Mr. Trump on Wednesday (June 24, 2026) , the chamber left early for a two-week July 4 break without any action on the SAVE America Act, despite mounting pressure from hardliners on Senate Majority Leader John Thune and his Republican colleagues.

“I will not be voting to re-open the floor until the Senate gets back to Washington,” Luna said in a social media post after their departure.

With only a slim 218-212 ‌Republican majority, Mr. Johnson can afford to lose no more than two votes on any measure facing unanimous opposition from Democrats. While Mr. ​Johnson’s raucous caucus has caused him problems, he does not face the same challenges that Mr. Thune does in the Senate, where rules effectively require bipartisan support of most legislation.

November’s elections will determine whether Republicans retain their majorities in Congress. Mr. Trump’s ⁠34% approval rating, according to Reuters/Ipsos, has weighed on fellow Republicans’ popularity.

At a Thursday (June 25, 2026) news conference, eight of Luna’s fellow hardliners emphasized their own opposition to moving forward on House bills while the Senate is out of session.

House Republican leaders tried to overcome the hardliners’ roadblock to advance bills to support ‌veterans and fund government agencies, including the State Department, during the fiscal year that begins on October 1. But the chamber was expected instead to leave town a day early on Thursday without acting on the legislation.

Trump focus on voting rules

The SAVE America Act would require a photo ID to vote in federal elections and proof of U.S. citizenship to register. It would also compel states to turn over their voter registration rolls to the federal government.

The bill, which faces vehement opposition from Democrats, passed the House of Representatives in February but has since languished in the Senate. Mr. Trump also wants the bill to sharply restrict mail-in voting, a concern for Republicans worried that such a change could hurt voter turnout in rural areas.

Critics ‌say the bill targets a nearly non-existent problem of non-citizen voting, which Mr. Trump has falsely blamed for his 2020 loss to former President Joe Biden. They also warn ​the legislation would disenfranchise American citizens who do not have ready access to a passport or birth certificate.

Trump supporters have called for including the SAVE America Act in a special budget reconciliation bill that can pass the Senate with 51 Republican ⁠votes and overruling the parliamentarian — the official charged with upholding chamber rules — if the voter ID measure is ruled ineligible, as it was earlier this year.

Mr. Johnson ⁠told reporters only that he plans to put the legislation on the House floor again. But Representative Tom Emmer, the House’s No. 3 Republican, indicated in an interview that the speaker could be on board with the budget reconciliation strategy.

“You put it on the ‌floor — this is what Mike Johnson is saying — you overrule the parliamentarian,” Mr. Emmer told conservative media host John Fredericks.

Thune and other Republicans insist they do not now have the votes for such a maneuver.

Other Republicans have warned that Trump’s focus on the SAVE America Act could ​help Democrats, who have been quick to seize on the issue. 

Published – June 26, 2026 05:25 am IST

President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday (June 24, 2026), abruptly cancelling plans to sign a bipartisan measure that could help spur more home construction.

The President declared on social media that he now wants Congress to first pass a bill that would mandate stricter rules for voter identification in federal elections.

“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,” Mr. Trump said.

Mr. Trump, who had also been slated to attend a closed-door Senate GOP luncheon for the first time in more than a year, has pressured senators for months to focus on his proof-of-citizenship voting bill even though it doesn’t have the votes to pass.

At the same time, he has blocked them from confirming one of his own nominees, asked them to fund parts of his White House ballroom project despite opposition and forced them to defend his Iran war even as they question the strategy and endgame. By rejecting a public bill signing, Mr. Trump is also indicating a level of indifference to the affordability issues that are a leading concern for voters going into November’s midterm elections.

Mr. Trump has also helped whittle down his own support in the Senate after endorsing primary challengers to two GOP incumbents who were previously reliable votes for his agenda — Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy. Both men lost their primaries and have since become more critical of the President.

Still, senators said before Mr. Trump’s reversal on the housing measure that they had hoped to focus on unity, not disagreements.

“If we’re going to win the midterm elections, we need to get on the same page,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) ahead of the meeting. “We’re not on the same page now, and that I think is dangerous.” It was uncertain, though, if Mr. Trump’s visit could smooth differences with the Republican majority — or if GOP senators who have been increasingly vocal about their frustration will voice their concerns directly.

Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said a lot of his complaints with the administration have already been communicated. He said he hopes this meeting will be “conciliatory.” “That would be a big win for us tomorrow,” Tillis said on Tuesday (June 23, 2026).

Trump pushes Thune on SAVE America Act

Adding to the tension is Mr. Trump’s increasingly distant relationship with Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. While Mr. Thune remains popular in his conference and cordial with the president, he has spent much of his time lately telling Mr. Trump what he doesn’t want to hear.

Mr. Thune said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) that while Mr. Trump and some in their conference want to see the voting bill pass, “it’s just not realistic.” Mr. Trump has been pushing the Senate to eliminate the filibuster and pass the legislation, known as the SAVE America Act, which would create strict new requirements for voters to prove citizenship and show voter ID at the polls. He has also demanded that they add a ban on mail-in ballots to the bill as well as unrelated provisions to block sex reassignment surgeries on some minors and prevent people born as men from playing in women’s sports.

“John is a leader and hopefully he can get the votes,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) on a trip to Pennsylvania, putting new pressure on Mr. Thune.

Mr. Thune devoted weeks of floor time to the voting bill earlier this year and has said he supports it. But he has repeatedly said there aren’t enough votes to scrap the filibuster that triggers a 60-vote threshold to pass most bills in the 53-47 Senate. And Democrats are uniformly opposed to the bill.

“Those are just hard realities,” Mr. Thune said. “And I think people at some point have to come to grips with that.“ Mr. Thune said he hopes the meeting is about “sitting down as a family” and figuring out their agenda in the remaining time before the election.

Some GOP senators back Trump on SAVE Act

Mr. Thune said he found out Mr. Trump was coming to the luncheon from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who had extended the invitation without telling him — an unusual move that could signal some frustration within the ranks. Scott, a close Trump ally, leads the Senate Republican lunch every Wednesday (June 24, 2026).

Mr. Scott, who ran against Mr. Thune for leader two years ago, said Mr. Trump responded “on the spot” to his invitation and said he would come.

“He’s going to be very positive,” Mr. Scott said. “There’s a lot that we can brag about that we’ve accomplished, and he wants to figure out how we can win November and continue to fulfill his agenda.” On Monday (June 22, 2026), Mr. Scott sent a letter to his Republican colleagues arguing that the Senate should be taking votes every week on some version of the SAVE America Act and other GOP priorities that Democrats oppose.

“We need to show voters that we are listening to them and will fight for their priorities whether any Democrats vote with us or not,” Mr. Scott wrote.

Also needling Mr. Thune on the bill is Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican who has amassed a large following on X with daily posts about how they should kill the filibuster and pass the bill. Several Republican senators, including Mr. Cornyn, confronted Mr. Lee at a closed-door lunch last week about his advocacy, which they said is dividing the party and creating unrealistic expectations.

Mr. Lee has also echoed Mr. Trump’s claims that Republicans can’t win elections unless the bill passes, despite the party’s sweeping victories in 2024. Mr. Trump has continued to falsely claim that the 2020 election he lost was stolen.

“The push to pass the SAVE America Act is not a fantasy,’” Mr. Lee posted over the weekend. “It’s a plan to avoid a nightmare — one that’s coming soon unless we act.” Mr. Thune said Tuesday (June 23, 2026) that it’s Mr. Lee’s prerogative to post on social media, but “at the end of the day, I have a different reality. And sometimes the alternative universe that is X doesn’t reflect the facts on the ground.”

Frustration over Iran, intelligence job could also be topics

Mr. Trump could be faced with questions about his announcement on social media last week that he was delaying Jay Clayton’s nomination to become national intelligence director. Republican leaders had hoped to quickly confirm Mr. Clayton and circumvent Mr. Trump’s unpopular interim pick Bill Pulte, who has no known experience in the field.

In the same social media post, Mr. Trump said he wouldn’t sign a renewal of a key surveillance law unless Senate Republicans attach the SAVE America Act. That hard-line approach has some support in the House, where a group of 25 Republicans has vowed to oppose all legislation until the voting bill moves forward.

Republicans could also use the luncheon to push Mr. Trump on the war in Iran and the agreement with Iran to end it. Most lawmakers still have not been briefed about the deal.

Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., said there are a lot of questions about the Iran agreement, but added that Mr. Trump may not be able to talk publicly about the ongoing negotiations.

“We’re there to listen” and to try and ensure that the rest of Trump’s term is successful, Mr. Rounds said. But that means “we’ve got to come out with a united team.”

Published – June 25, 2026 03:04 am IST

The U.S. House of Representatives passed bipartisan legislation that aims to speed the construction and availability of ‌more affordable housing. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

The Senate passed a bipartisan housing bill on Monday (June 22, 2026) that aims to reduce federal regulations and expand local control, one of the most sweeping efforts in recent decades to increase supply and bring down prices.

The bill, which passed 85-5 and now heads to the House, has been the focus of intense negotiations in recent weeks as lawmakers in both parties try to address housing costs in an election year.

The final version of the legislation bans corporate investors from buying single-family homes but doesn’t include a Senate provision that would have required investors to sell newly constructed homes within seven years.

The measure was the result of years of work to “lower costs, expand housing supply, cut red tape, protect taxpayers, and help more Americans achieve the dream of homeownership”, said Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, who worked with Democrats to get the bill passed.

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the banking panel, said it is the most significant housing bill to pass Congress since 1990, when the average home in America was sold for USD 150,000. Now it costs more than $500,000, she said.

The bill “acknowledges that the federal government has a role to play in lowering housing prices”, Ms. Warren told The Associated Press.

“For the first time ever, private equity will be blocked from buying up single-family homes and trying to turn housing into one more Wall Street investment.” Senate passage of the bill shapes up as a rare bipartisan legislative achievement when much of Republicans’ agenda has stalled. The House is expected to give final approval later this week and send the bill to President Donald Trump, who has signalled his support.

Democratic Rep Maxine Waters of California, who helped negotiate the legislation, said it was a “huge step toward finally addressing the affordable housing and homelessness crises in this country.”

Housing costs are a concern for both parties

Republicans and Democrats have embraced the bill as a way to show they are addressing the nation’s affordability crisis, driven in part by rising home prices due to a shortage of affordable housing.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes have been hovering close to a 4-million annual pace going back to 2023 – well short of the 5.2-million annual pace that’s historically been the norm. Sales slowed last year to a 30-year low and have remained sluggish so far this year, declining in January and February versus a year earlier.

The Economic Report of the President in April found a shortage of 10 million homes, while a report this month from the Joint Center For Housing Studies at Harvard University found sales of existing homes were at three-decade lows and inventories were rising due to high home buying costs.

“Cost burdens for both renters and owners continue to climb, while assistance remains profoundly underfunded,” the report said.

While the median U.S. monthly rent has been declining for nearly three years, it was still 17.2 per cent higher in May than it was before the pandemic, according to data from Realtor.com.

Changes for grants, Section 8 and manufactured housing

To increase the supply of housing, the bill would streamline environmental reviews and speed up the construction process.

It would offer funding to local governments that build more housing, including Community Development Block Grant money to places exceeding the median rate of homebuilding.

It would also provide new dollars for communities to turn abandoned infrastructure into housing, and offers a framework for communities that want to reform outdated zoning regulations, which often limit larger housing developments.

The legislation would allow banks to invest more in affordable housing and raise limits on the number of public housing units that can receive private financing through Section 8 funding to rehabilitate properties. And it would remove outdated requirements and expand federal financing to make manufactured homes more affordable.

“Manufactured housing produces some of the most cost-effective housing in America, but access to financing has been tightly restricted,” Ms. Warren said.

“This creates the opportunity for more manufactured housing and, at the same time, creates a structure for people living in manufactured housing communities to organise and protect their investment in their homes.”

Lawmakers compromised on disaster programme

One of the sticking points between the two chambers was over a federal disaster recovery programme.

An earlier Senate bill had permanently authorized block grant recovery funds, a change intended to ensure that funding requests aren’t needed after every disaster.

House lawmakers opposed that provision because of concerns over how the program was run, so they agreed on a three-year authorisation instead.

The final bill has received widespread support in the housing community, both from organizations representing landlords and large property owners as well as groups that advocate for tenants and low-income renters.

“There is no magic wand that will fix this crisis overnight, and no single piece of legislation is perfect,” David Dworkin, chief executive of the National Housing Conference, the nation’s oldest housing coalition, said.

“Compromise demands that. But this bill is a significant down payment on a long-term effort to make housing more affordable for all Americans.”

Published – June 23, 2026 06:04 am IST