Rep. Summer Lee Blasts Trump for Holding Bipartisan Housing Relief Hostage
“The people organized, Congress acted, and now the President needs to do his job.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. —JUNE 24, 2026 — Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) released the following statement after President Donald Trump canceled the scheduled signing of the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and said he would withhold his signature until Congress passes the SAVE Act, legislation that would make it harder for eligible Americans to register to vote, cast a ballot, and exercise their fundamental right.
The sweeping housing package passed both chambers of Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support and includes provisions limiting additional single-family home purchases by large institutional investors, supporting home repairs and housing preservation, improving access to small-dollar mortgages, and strengthening protections for homeowners challenging inaccurate appraisals.
“Here in Pittsburgh and across Western Pennsylvania, I have seen too many families living in homes owned by distant investors who treat them like a paycheck instead of a person. Corporate investors are buying up single-family homes and affordable buildings, driving up costs, neglecting properties, and pushing working families out of the very neighborhoods they helped build. That is why I helped lead the Stop Wall Street Landlords Act, to build a housing system that puts safe, stable homes within reach, not one that subsidizes wealthy investors while everyday people struggle to find a place to live.
“The inclusion of limits on additional purchases by large institutional investors in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act shows that pressure works. I have worked alongside housing advocates, tenants, homeowners, community members, and fellow progressive lawmakers to organize, speak out, and force Washington to confront the damage corporate landlords are doing in our neighborhoods. Now, after months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations, and this bill passing both chambers of Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, President Trump is holding urgently-needed housing relief hostage to pressure Congress into passing the SAVE Act, a restrictive voting bill that would make it harder for eligible Americans to exercise their right to vote. Families struggling with rising rents, housing costs, and unsafe conditions should never be treated like bargaining chips. If President Trump is serious about taking on Wall Street landlords and making housing more affordable, he should stop playing games with people’s lives and sign this bill.
“For Pittsburgh homeowners and families hoping to buy a home, this package could mean fewer people being forced to compete against massive investment firms with cash offers and deep pockets. It could bring more support for repairing Western Pennsylvania’s aging housing stock, turning vacant and abandoned properties back into homes, improving access to the smaller mortgages many Pittsburgh buyers need, and giving homeowners a fairer process when an inaccurate appraisal undervalues their property. These provisions could preserve our neighborhoods, protect the investments families have made in their homes, and give more working people a real chance to build stability and wealth. The people organized, Congress acted, and now the President needs to do his job.”
Congresswoman Summer Lee has made housing affordability and tenant protections a central part of her work in Congress. She has fought to rein in corporate landlords and institutional investors, expand the supply of safe and affordable housing, strengthen protections for renters, preserve existing homes, and make homeownership more accessible to working families. Through legislation including the Stop Wall Street Landlords Act, the HOMES Act, the Keep Affordable Housing in Forgotten Communities Act, and the Eviction Right to Counsel Act, Rep. Lee has worked to end the tax advantages that help wealthy investors buy up homes, preserve affordable housing in historically underserved communities, protect families facing eviction, and keep people securely housed. She continues working to ensure that housing is treated as a basic human need and the foundation of strong, stable communities, not simply another source of profit for corporations and Wall Street.