A federal judge on Wednesday permanently blocked most of President Donald Trump's election executive order, including a requirement that voters provide documentary proof of citizenship when registering, ruling that election authority rests with states and Congress.
Trump’s push for stricter voter identification rules in federal elections has been ruffling Senate Republicans. Trump worsened tensions earlier Wednesday by abruptly canceling plans to sign a bipartisan affordable housing measure, insisting that the Senate first move his voting legislation even though it doesn’t have enough support to pass.
At a preplanned luncheon, Trump met with GOP senators who have grown increasingly frustrated by his diversions from the party’s agenda and his unclear Iran war strategy. Republican senators had hoped to use the housing bill Trump abandoned to show voters they care about affordability ahead of the November midterm elections.
Trump said that he had a "great" meeting with Senate Republicans on Capitol Hill, hours after canceling his plan to sign a bipartisan affordable housing bill in an effort to pressure lawmakers to enact the SAVE America Act.
Trump also has a face-to-face Wednesday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, two weeks ahead of the annual summit of the military alliance, as the Pentagon reviews the U.S. military footprint in Europe.
