Trump, GOP Clash After President Scraps Housing Bill Signing

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Donald Trump and Republicans in the US Senate squabbled on Wednesday, as the president abruptly canceled plans to sign a bipartisan housing bill and lawmakers pressed him over his handling of the war in Iran.

Trump’s refusal to sign the legislation came shortly before a private luncheon with Senate Republicans at the US Capitol, where tensions quickly flared. Louisiana Republican Bill Cassidy, whose Senate career Trump helped end, repeatedly criticized the president over the Middle East conflict, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune tried to play peacemaker, a person familiar said. Spokespeople for Cassidy and Thune did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The president defended his war effort, telling senators he is the first president to do something to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, said another person familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity to describe the closed-door exchange. Senator Jon Husted, a Republican from Ohio, described the Cassidy-Trump exchange as “memorable” but declined to say more.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe and Kailey speak with:

• Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
• Bloomberg Government Senior Washington Reporter Jonathan Tamari.
• Republican Congressman Mike Lawler of New York.
• Burway Group Senior Advisor Roger Fisk and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck Partner Rosemary Becchi.
• Bloomberg White House Correspondent Jennifer Dlouhy.
• Former US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder.

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