Congress cleared the largest housing bill in decades as lawmakers moved to limit corporate purchases of single-family homes, while a separate war powers push exposed fresh fractures inside President Donald Trump’s own party. In New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani-b
President Donald Trump’s lunch with Senate Republicans was set for today. even as tensions with his own party spilled into public view last night. Four Senate Republicans joined Democrats to advance a war powers resolution that would require the president to withdraw troops from the conflict with Iran. The measure is not legally binding and would not be sent to the White House for a signature.
The party’s friction is not new, but it is growing sharper. Trump has repeatedly undermined Senate Republicans’ plans to pass legislation and has expressed frustration online in recent days. The dispute inside his caucus is tied closely to the president’s insistence on a strict voter ID law—the SAVE America Act—along with his continued campaign against what he calls stolen elections.
Trump says the GOP will never win another election without the SAVE America Act. Yet there are not enough votes in the Senate to pass it. He has also targeted incumbents he perceives as disloyal. a strategy that is increasingly unsettling some Republicans who fear it is pulling focus away from the political fights ahead in 2026.
At least one senator who helped provide the crucial vote for the war powers resolution now appears less constrained. Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy is one of the members who provided a key vote for the measure to move forward. His stance—and the decision by other Republicans to cross party lines—underscores the central contradiction in Trump’s current relationship with lawmakers who are supposed to be advancing his agenda.
The political argument is playing out while Congress moved on a separate front with major legislative momentum. Last night. the House passed the 21st Century Road to Housing Act by a vote of 358 to 32. and the Senate approved it on Monday with overwhelming bipartisan support. The measure now heads to Trump’s desk for his signature.
The bill aims to tackle the U.S. shortage of housing units to meet demand. Realtor.com estimated that last year the U.S. was short by more than 4 million housing units.
For many lawmakers and activists. the most closely watched provision is a ban on corporate investors buying large numbers of single-family homes. Trump and lawmakers including Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have criticized private equity firms for purchasing these homes with cash offers. a practice they say pushes prices higher. Under the legislation, big investors would be limited to buying no more than 350 homes.
The bill is broad, built of more than 40 parts. One of its main goals is to make it easier for builders to construct homes by streamlining federal housing regulations. It also encourages local governments to reform their housing regulations—rules that can significantly affect how quickly homes can be built. Those local reforms could take time, and other hurdles remain, including mortgage rates and land costs. The end result. as lawmakers likely understand. will not be immediate; it will take time for Americans to feel the effects and for new homes to be built.
While Washington worked on housing and wrestled with the war powers fight. New York offered a different kind of political test. Last night’s primary election in New York was the first significant measure for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s political movement—and it delivered a sweep. All three candidates he endorsed for Congress won their races.
The victories were framed as a major win for the left and a blow for establishment Democrats. Mamdani has diverged from Democratic leaders by backing candidates who are willing to openly criticize Israel and advocate for ambitious economic policies.
Mamdani and his supporters say the wins will energize young voters and could increase turnout. They believe their message—anti-corporation, anti-billionaire, and centered on affordability—resonates beyond their base.
Centrist Democrats see a different risk. Their party, they argue, needs to flip seats in swing districts and win over moderate Republicans. They fear that moving further to the left could undermine that effort.
For a moment. all of it is happening at once: the housing bill pushing toward Trump’s signature. a war powers resolution gaining unexpected Republican support in the Senate. and a left-wing insurgency finding traction in a high-visibility New York primary. By the time Trump sits down with Senate Republicans today. the message from Capitol Hill is already clear—party discipline is no longer guaranteed. even on the issues lawmakers say they need to deliver.
Trump Senate Republicans war powers resolution Iran SAVE America Act housing bill 21st Century Road to Housing Act corporate investors single-family homes Elizabeth Warren Zohran Mamdani New York primaries Congress