Elizabeth Warren

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren slammed President Donald Trump for putting his political fortunes ahead of Americans’ economic security after he blew up a planned signing ceremony for a bipartisan housing bill.

“Huge bipartisan majorities in Congress passed a bill to lower housing costs,” Warren posted to X on Wednesday. “But at the 11th hour, Donald Trump is refusing to sign it into law. His policies have made your costs go up — and he doesn’t care."

The Cambridge lawmaker, joined by U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C, helped shepherd the sprawling legislation known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.

The bill, the first major housing reform bill in decades, passed both sides of Capitol Hill by wide margins. It would, among other things, essentially bar private equity firms from buying up single-family homes.

The bill incorporates proposals advanced by lawmakers in both chambers, including language waiving environmental review requirements for some housing projects.

It also would incentivize communities to build more housing and encourage the renovation of aging homes, according to one analysis of the legislation.

Republicans had been hoping to use the housing bill as a selling point to voters ahead of the critical November midterm elections.

But 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,” Trump said.

U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, D-3rd District, piled on the criticism, posting to X that Trump was “holding up the most consequential housing legislation in decades so he can try to steal the election this November.

“Americans struggling to afford their rent or mortgage will pay the price,” the Lowell lawmaker said.

U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark, D-5th District, also criticized the White House’s move.

“Donald Trump is refusing to lower housing costs because he wants voter suppression,“ Clark, the No. 2 Democrat in the House, posted to X. ”This is the president who promised to lower costs on Day One."

The White House did not immediately respond to a question about whether Trump would veto the housing bill.

But his refusal to publicly sign the measure after fanfare about him doing so further reveals the deepening split between Trump and the Senate, raising the possibility that a Capitol Hill which had largely been deferential to the White House could become much harder for the president to navigate.

U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st District, praised the bill after the House passed it on Tuesday night.

“Families across Massachusetts know too well that housing costs have skyrocketed beyond what they can handle. For too many, the dream of homeownership has never felt further out of reach,” Neal, the top Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, posted to X.

“I’m proud to have joined my colleagues tonight in passing an overdue step in the right direction to lower costs, build more homes, and protect families searching for their American dream,” the Springfield lawmaker said.