Tim Scott

CHARLESTON — U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham said his colleague Tim Scott’s legislation to address America’s housing crisis is critical to Republican efforts to address affordability, even as President Donald Trump insists Congress pass an elections bill before he’ll sign it.

But Graham said Trump is demanding something the Senate cannot deliver since Republicans don’t have the votes to pass it.

Speaking to reporters in Charleston on July 1, Graham said he understands the president's frustrations over the stalled efforts in the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping proposal that would crack down on mail-in voting and impose strict new voter registration and identification requirements nationwide.

But Graham also said the housing package championed by Scott, R-S.C., should not be derailed in the president's push to pass the elections bill.

"Keep fighting for Save America, but you got to fight smartly," Graham said. "I think it'd be a shame to lose the housing bill because you can't pass the Save America Act."

A request for comment from Scott’s office was not immediately returned July 1.

What is the bill and where does it stand?

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act championed by Scott has already passed both chambers with overwhelming bipartisan support. The measure is designed to address the nation's housing shortage by making it easier and cheaper to build homes. Among other provisions, it encourages local governments to streamline permitting and zoning, expands financing for affordable housing, supports the conversion of vacant buildings into housing and increases access to small-dollar mortgages.

The bill also includes a first-of-its-kind limit on private equity by prohibiting large investors from buying single-family homes.

The legislation also broadens several federal housing assistance programs. It cleared the Senate 85-5 and the House 358-32 before landing on Trump's desk.

Trump last week stunned most of Washington when he abruptly canceled the bill signing, leaving empty the decorated stage that was inside the Capitol’s Statuary Hall for the occasion.

In a social media post, Trump declared he would not sign the measure unless Congress also approved the SAVE America Act.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on June 30 transmitted the housing affordability bill to the White House, kicking off a 10-day countdown for the bill to become law, even if the president does not sign it.

Johnson also said he has encouraged Trump to sign the housing bill, saying he told the president: “Sir, you should get the fattest black marker you have and sign your name really big on that because the result will be very very good for the American people.”

But the day before, Trump signaled on June 29 he had not changed his position and was dismissive about the housing package overall when asked whether he would sign it.

“Big deal,” Trump said of the legislation. “It’s a yawn.”

"Compared to the Save America Act, just about everything is a big yawn," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office, as he reiterated that what he’d really like to sign is the Save America Act 'because it's wonderful to me."

Trump indicated that he disagreed with elements of the bill, in part, because Democrats had supported the measure alongside Republicans.

“It’s very bipartisan — that means the Democrats like it,” Trump said. “They’re getting things that I wouldn’t necessarily agree to.”

Graham’s plan

In Charleston, Graham struck an optimistic tone about the bill’s fate, echoing Johnson’s insistence that the housing package will become law.

Graham twice said he does not think the president will veto the legislation.

He also applauded Scott for working with Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on the measure.

“Elizabeth Warren and Tim Scott have political differences that are miles wide, but they were able to bridge that gap when it came to affordable housing, and I compliment Tim for that,” Graham said.

Graham said Republicans should keep forcing votes on Trump's elections bill even as he acknowledged it lacks the support needed to pass the Senate.

Instead, Graham said the SAVE America Act should become a defining campaign issue ahead of the November midterms, adding he wants to vote on it “every week” and give Republicans, including himself, the opportunity to ask their Democratic challengers whether they’d support the bill.