President Donald Trump is aggressively pressing the Senate to pass voter verification legislation, speaking extensively about it, posting repeatedly on social media and threatening to withhold support from defectors.
But with the failure of a marquee housing bill that was one of his signature affordable proposals on the Hill, he’s been virtually silent on it.
The president’s proposal to ban institutional investors from buying homes, first outlined in a January executive order and later folded into a bipartisan housing package, is facing sharp opposition from some House conservatives, who argue it would prevent corporations from making major capital investments in housing construction, ultimately reducing supply rather than increasing it.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune also requested Trump’s help in passing the Senate housing bill through the House, but it appears that Trump did not respond. The White House has not announced any plans to step up efforts to get the Senate bill across the finish line, other than seeking to pass the bill in its original form.
This is in stark contrast to how the President has pushed his “top priority” Save America Act – which effectively suggests that preserving American democracy is essential – even though this bill has almost no chance of becoming law.
That’s partly because early support for restrictions on institutional investors, some of the president’s aides say, was part of a turn-everything approach by a White House political shop eager to score a win on the basis of affordability ahead of an election where the cost of living is uppermost in voters’ minds. Trump also drew attention to the proposal in his State of the Union address last month and called on Congress to codify it.
Now, they’re not sure whether spending political capital is worth the payoff at the ballot box.
“The political shop is feeling the pressure, and they are grasping at any straw that comes their way,” said a person close to the White House, speaking on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. But “in this particular case, Thune is right, you have to go to the House and swing arms for a bill that no one cares about.”
The person added, “It’s a great conversation point — and I get that part.” But “no one is sitting around saying, ‘Finally, I can buy my first home because institutional investors can’t buy homes anymore.’ This is not the only barrier to entry.”
While the White House demands that the House pass the Senate bill as is, Trump has not said as much publicly","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/12/housing-trump-affordability-midterms-gop-00825096","_Identification": :"0000019d-015f-d1d2-a5bd-3bdf55960008","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-015f-d1d2-a5bd-3bdf55960009","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Haven’t said much publicly. Some GOP lawmakers are pushing for bicameral conference talks on the housing bill to resolve their policy differences, but that could require both chambers to vote again on the measure.
However, given the GOP’s slim majority, rising oil prices and weak jobs numbers, some Trump allies insist he needs a win to take the White House this fall.
Trump pollster John McLaughlin said, “For the president to try to make home ownership more realistic for many people — and also make affordable rental homes available — would be very helpful for the November elections.” “They’re even seen as a departure from the efforts we’ve seen from young voters in the past few years.”
“This is a good issue to build a coalition, broaden it and attract new voters,” he said.
White House spokesman Davis Ingle refuted the idea that the president is not focused on housing.
The SAVE Act is Trump’s top priority, but he’s “also focused on making housing more affordable,” Ingle said, pointing to recent housing executive orders.
“The President will not stop fighting until the American dream of homeownership is within reach of every American, which is why he continues to sign bold new executive orders and call on Congress to pass further legislation. At the same time, President Trump has made clear publicly that passing the Save America Act to strengthen election integrity and protect our democracy is the most urgent priority for Congress right now,” Ingle said.
The Save America Act, which would require voter identification at the polls in addition to requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, would ban gender-affirming surgeries for minors and bar transgender women from playing women’s sports.
The Senate voted to begin debate on Tuesday","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/03/17/congress/senate-launches-debate-on-trump-backed-elections-bill-00832602","_Identification": :"0000019d-015f-d1d2-a5bd-3bdf5596000a","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-015f-d1d2-a5bd-3bdf5596000b","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>Voted to start debate The Save America Act passed the House, but the legislation does not yet have the votes to pass the upper chamber. Thune is under pressure from the right wing of the GOP to eliminate the filibuster to pass the election overhaul, but that strategy also lacks the votes.
In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump called for Republicans and Democrats As for voting “yes” on the SAVE Act, he added, “I will never (ever!) support anyone who votes against “SAVE AMERICA!!!”
Meanwhile, Trump is pushing other policies to address housing affordability, as housing experts point to low interest rates, limited supply and construction costs as the primary barriers to entry for first-time buyers.
On Friday, he signed a pair of executive orders designed to cut red tape, making it easier for builders to build homes and for community banks to finance them. In January, Trump directed government-controlled mortgage finance agencies to buy billions of securities to lower mortgage rates. Last time they offered a 50-year mortgage and ultimately withdrew it.
“Under the Trump Administration, we want to make it possible for every American to live the American dream in a beautiful home,” Trump said in a video. With the announcement of orders","Add":{"Target": :"New","Property":(),"url": :"https://x.com/WhiteHouse/status/2033903754043433459?s=20","_Identification": :"0000019d-015f-d1d2-a5bd-3bdf5596000e","_Type": :"33ac701a-72c1-316a-a3a5-13918cf384df"},"_Identification": :"0000019d-015f-d1d2-a5bd-3bdf5596000f","_Type": :"02ec1f82-5e56-3b8c-af6e-6fc7c8772266"}”>With the announcement of orders On Friday.
But a major bipartisan victory on housing is, for the moment, out of reach, and the interchamber dispute over housing legislation can likely only be resolved by Trump. “I hope he will consult with House members to get this done so he can quickly sign it into law,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso said Thursday.
Tobias Peter, co-director of the American Enterprise Institute’s Housing Center, said white officials have been working behind the scenes to push through the Senate version of the housing legislation.
“They’re desperate to get something done,” said Peters of the White House, “and it’s the same in the Senate. They’re just desperate to get something passed.”
Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) insisted that Trump could get the housing bill passed in the House.
“I’m sure he will,” he said. “They have a lot of magic when it comes to the House.”
