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Senate Passes Bipartisan Landmark Housing Act, 89-19; Independent Candidate Seeks To Put Montana In Play For Senate; Could Montana Independent Reshape Dems' Senate Path? Aired 12:30-1p ET

Aired March 12, 2026 - 12:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[12:30:35]

DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: A rare bipartisan moment on a really important issue. The Senate just passed significant legislation on housing affordability, rather, 89 yes votes. It's championed by a progressive Democratic Senator, Elizabeth Warren. It's endorsed by the Trump administration. And the White House calls it a significant advance that will lower housing costs for families, seniors, and veterans across the country.

CNN's Lauren Fox is on Capitol Hill. I mean, you can't even name a post office at this point with 89 senators saying yes. It's a big, big deal again from Elizabeth Warren to the White House. And yet, Lauren, there is a hiccup when it comes to how it's going to get through the House of Representatives.

LAUREN FOX, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Dana, as you can imagine, if you're a Republican in the United States Senate who is worried about questions over affordability ahead of the midterms, this might be exactly the kind of piece of legislation that might give you a little bit of hope as you're running for re-election. And yet, despite the fact that this bill just passed 89 to 10 here in the United States Senate, there's some trouble ahead.

And we should just underscore what this bill actually does. One of the biggest provisions that it does is it prevents institutional investors from buying single-family homes. This was a huge piece of what Trump has talked about over the course of the last several months. And yet, there are questions whether it is going to actually be signed into law.

You had -- I talked earlier today with Senator Jim Banks about just the breadth of support for this legislation. Here's what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JIM BANKS (R), INDIANA: When you have Elizabeth Warren on the left and Jim Banks on the right and everybody in between on the Banking and Housing Committee coming together to put a bill like this together that's bipartisan, that's strong, that's substantive, we should pass it. It's common sense. (END VIDEO CLIP)

FOX: Now, the obstacle ahead is the fact that the House of Representatives has their own legislation that has broad bipartisan support, Dana. But there are differences between the two bills. And there are just tensions that exist between the House and the Senate. When it comes to the differences in this bill, we have heard from House leadership that they are expecting they want to keep fighting for their version of the bill.

It's very possible that this could go to a prolonged conference committee. That's rare up here on Capitol Hill. But that could take time. And, obviously, as you are charging ahead toward the midterms, the more time it takes, the less likely it is that this actually gets to the President's desk to be signed.

BASH: Yes, I mean, affordable housing is among the big, big issues for just about everybody out there across the country. And the fact that you have this bipartisanship is really remarkable. It's supposed to work the way you describe it. It's supposed to have maybe a Senate bill, a House bill. They come together, they negotiate and they compromise. You know, as you said, it hasn't happened very often recently. Maybe hope springs eternal.

Thank you so much, Lauren. Appreciate that reporting.

Up next, can an independent put Ruby Red Montana in play? I'll talk to Senate candidate Seth Bodnar, an independent, about why he thinks Montanans could buck both parties this fall.

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[12:38:20]

BASH: President Trump won Montana by 20 percentage points in 2024. So it's a Senate seat that's maybe up for grabs this November and it was definitely not on our key races list. But Seth Bodnar, an Army Green Beret Rhodes Scholar, former university president, thinks he can put the state in play.

Here's the catch. He's not running as a Democrat.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SETH BODNAR (I), MONTANA SENATE CANDIDATE: This country is in crisis and our national political parties are failing us. Montanans are an independent people and they deserve an independent voice fighting for them in Washington, D.C. I'm not a politician. I'm a soldier, a businessman, a husband, a father.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BASH: His campaign got an unexpected boost last week when incumbent Republican Senator Steve Daines announced his surprise retirement. Daines stepped aside just before the filing deadline and handpicked his replacement, Republican U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.

Seth Bodnar is here now. Thank you so much for being here. Let's start with your party label, your party ID, Independent.

BODNAR: Right.

BASH: You say you're not a Democrat, but I think some people are skeptical of that. The last Democrat to win statewide in Montana is Jon Tester. He's supporting you. You have Tester alums on your staff. What do you say to voters who think you're running as an Independent only because the Democratic Party is toxic in Montana?

BODNAR: Well, look, I am an Independent. I joined the military at age 18. I swore an oath to the Constitution of this country, not to a political party. It's how I've led at the University of Montana for the past eight years, working with Democrats, working with Republicans, working with Independents to serve the people of this great state. And that's the type of U.S. Senator that I'm going to be.

[12:40:09]

I'm going to work every day on behalf of the great people of this state. I'm going to work across partisan divides to meet the needs of Montanans, not to serve party interests or do the bidding of my party bosses.

BASH: There are two independents currently in the Senate. They're very different, but they are both caucusing with Democrats. You well know, even though you've not been in the Senate, that once you get there, in order to get committee assignments and so forth, you tend to have to, or at least the tradition has been to caucus with one party or another. Will you caucus with Democrats if you win?

BODNAR: Yes, so it's -- I appreciate the question. I respect the question. That question is one of the reasons I'm running as an Independent, because most politicians, they go to D.C., they put a jersey on. A jersey with an R or a jersey with a D. That's the team they fight for. That's how they vote.

I'm going to vote for Montana. When I get to the U.S. Senate, I believe we need new leadership in the U.S. Senate, and I'm going to work to negotiate for a role that gives the biggest voice to Montanans.

BASH: So that means -- I'm going to move on to issues, but just to be specific --

BODNAR: Yes.

BASH: -- that means that you're going to caucus with the party that is in power or the party that you will help put in power?

BODNAR: Well, I'm going to -- obviously, we haven't seen what the composition of the Senate looks like yet, but to be frank, I'm going to look for the role that allows me to have the biggest impact for this state, and more importantly, that allows me to work with both parties to develop common sense solutions to the challenges that Montanans face.

You know, I've been around this state, and I haven't had a single Montanan ask me, OK, who are you going to caucus with? They're saying, what are you going to do to address our housing costs? What are you going to do to make sure that our rural hospitals aren't shutting down? How are you going to vote for me, not play party politics?

BASH: Yes. Yes. And I get it -- and I'm asking as somebody who covered the Senate on and off for 20 years and know, you know, how --

BODNAR: Right.

BASH: -- you can make a difference, and that is in large part, you know, the seniority that you have and how much power you have. Let's talk about --

BODNAR: Right.

BASH: -- some of the issues. Actually, just first, I mentioned the president won by 20 percentage points in Montana. Did you vote for him?

BODNAR: You know, I've voted for Democrats over the course of my life. I've voted for Republicans over the course of my life. I don't talk about the individuals that I vote for in each of the elections. What I will tell you is I'm deeply concerned about the direction of the country right now.

I see hardworking Montanans having a harder time making ends meet. I had a woman at one of our events last week that said, you know, 50 percent of my Social Security check right now is going to rent. It's going to be 75 percent two years from now.

I don't know how I'm going to get by. So I see everyday Montanans struggling. And I think we need a new approach. I think we need a new direction in this country.

BASH: How would you rate President Trump's second term so far?

BODNAR: Well, look, again, as an Independent, I don't think either party has a monopoly on good ideas. And I look at everything through the lens of what's good for the people of Montana. And Montanans are concerned about rising costs. So I'm glad to see the focus on lowering prescription drug costs that the administration has taken on.

I'm encouraged by the efforts today. I'm glad the Senate passed this bill addressing housing costs. At the same time, I'm really concerned about these tariffs. They're crushing export markets. There are ag producers here in Montanans -- in Montana spent decades building. They're driving up input costs, rising prices for all of us.

When it comes to immigration, Montanans want strong borders. We believe we should remove violent criminals. But we're an independent people. And we also believe that we can enforce our immigration policies without trampling on the individual liberties of American citizens. BASH: Because you want to be a senator, I do want to get your take quickly on some of the big issues before the U.S. Senate right now.

BODNAR: Yes.

BASH: The Trump administration is likely to ask the Senate for millions of dollars more in funding for the war in Iran. How would you vote, yes or no?

BODNAR: Well, this one's deeply personal to me. And I want to be real clear. Iran is the world's largest state-sponsored terrorism. It's regime, it's proxies, it's killed friends of mine. But I've also been on the ground in Iraq. I've seen the aftermath of an ill-planned regime change.

And if you're going to send America's sons and daughters into harm's way, you better make it crystal clear to the American people why it's an imminent threat. You better make sure we know what our endgame is and what is our exit strategy to ensure we don't have yet another protracted conflict in the Middle East.

I haven't seen that rationale. I haven't -- we haven't -- that hasn't been made clear to the American people. I'm deeply concerned about what's happening right now.

[12:45:05]

BASH: President Trump is pushing the Senate to pass what he calls the State of America. It's an election law that would require photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote. It would also eliminate most mail-in ballots. Would you support that?

BODNAR: Look, I agree that only American citizens should be voting in our elections. We have ID requirements here in Montana. I think it's important to note that our Constitution has the states in charge of their elections. Montanans don't want federal bureaucrats here in our great state trying to take over our elections.

BASH: So that's a no, you wouldn't support that?

BODNAR: That's a no.

BASH: Speaking of states versus federal law, would you support legislation to codify Roe v. Wade nationally, meaning a federal right to an abortion?

BODNAR: Yes. Look, Montanans have been very clear on this in our last election. We believe very strongly in individual privacy. And I believe very strongly that a woman should be able to make decisions about her health in consultation with her doctor and with her family.

BASH: So keep it a decision in Montana. Would you support it nationally?

BODNAR: Yes, I believe that individuals deserve that right to privacy. And again, Montanans are there. That's what I believe. And I think we should protect that right, yes.

BASH: Sorry, we're almost out of time. I just maybe I didn't ask the question properly. Would you support that on a national level? Would you support federal legislation to do that?

BODNAR: I would. Yes.

BASH: OK. OK. Thank you so much for being here.

BODNAR: I'm sorry (INAUDIBLE).

BASH: No, it was my question. I appreciate you being here. Please come back.

BODNAR: All right. Thanks, Dana. I appreciate it.

BASH: Thank you. And we'll be right back.

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[12:51:29]

BASH: For Democrats, the road to Senate control is narrow and has plenty of twists and turns, but could the Montana independent you just heard from change the terrain?

My panel is back now. Manu, as I bring you in, let's just put up on the screen, the state of play and what Democrats would need to do. It is a steep climb --

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

BASH: -- in order to get control back.

RAJU: Yes. In -- there's a very narrow path. There is a path. It's difficult, but they'd pick a net of four seats and they have to win in red states. I mean, not only do they have to win in Maine and North Carolina, and beating Susan Collins is very difficult in Maine, but also picking up a state like Alaska, where they have a good Democratic candidate there, Mary Peltola, former Congresswoman.

Republicans really say that she's a -- she can put the state in play. Sherrod Brown, the former Senator, is running the Democratic candidate against the Republican incumbent there. Then they got to defend Georgia. They have to defend Michigan. Those are tough states as well to make sure that they can actually hold those seats.

And then you have that out. Maybe there's -- if Montana were to come into play, that would mean there's big problems for Republicans, and this could be a bigger election day for Democrats. At the moment, neither side sees Montana as being on the map. We'll see if that changes.

But the way that Steve Daines maneuvered to prevent a Democratic candidate like former Senator Jon Tester from jumping in that race is because Republicans are fearful that this environment is worsening. If Democrats get good candidates in some of these states, even red states could be in play.

LEIGH ANN CALDWELL, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT, PUCK: Yes, but it's also a very expensive map too --

RAJU: Yes.

CALDWELL: -- and that is a big concern for Republicans who have to defend these seats. One state you didn't mention was Texas, which is on everyone's mind. The President said he is going to endorse in that Republican primary against John Cornyn and Ken Paxton.

Everyone thinks it's going to be Cornyn, but he hasn't done that endorsement yet, and that is causing Republicans to really freak out because that is at least $100 million over the next couple months in order to -- for Republican to -- for John Cornyn to win, who they think is going to be a better candidate against a Democrat in November.

BASH: And he already spent $70 million.

CALDWELL: Already spent $70 million. And so -- and that is a huge concern here. The President has a war chest of over $300 million. Some Republicans say it's actually over $1 billion, some say -- or $300 million. Some say it's over $1 billion with all of his political operations, but he hasn't said he's going to spend it yet, and he hasn't said how, and there's a lot of concern that he won't come in when they need him.

RAJU: The president's indecision in Texas has been such a sight to see. He could have headed off this primary months ago.

BASH: I know.

RAJU: If he said, I'm going to get behind John Cornyn, then he would have faced Tom Paxton (ph).

PHIL MATTINGLY, CNN ANCHOR & CHIEF DOMESTIC CORRESPONDENT: It is the perfect window into why trying to figure out where their war chest is going to go over the course of the coming months is an impossible exercise --

RAJU: Yes.

MATTINGLY: -- because he makes the decisions based on what he's feeling like. That endorsement was coming within like a 24-hour period. All of a sudden, Ken Paxton does the whole like jujitsu save act thing, filibuster stuff, which I don't really feel like trying to explain to people at this point in time, and all of a sudden, the endorsement is on hold, and nobody knows when exactly it's coming.

That level of kind of insecurity for national Republicans about what's coming, when it's coming, how it's coming, when you're in a political environment like this, when Schumer has the top-tier recruits that he wanted, whether they win or not, they're as good as he could probably get in most of these states, it doesn't add to a level of ease.

I would say, if you're the NRSC, despite the fact that on a map level, they clearly have an advantage going into this a little (ph).

BASH: Republicans, yes.

MATTINGLY: Republicans, without any question at all.

[12:55:06]

RAJU: They should. And it's the money that is so significant, particularly in Texas. I mean, you were saying $200 million is what they're expecting. In two months, that's how much they're going to have to spend if it's Cornyn versus Paxton, if Trump does not get behind one of the candidates there and pushes the other one aside.

And the fact that he put out that statement last week, Trump said, I'm going to endorse, and where's that endorsement? It hasn't happened yet. Now, this money is going to be spent, and that's going to impact all those battleground states you showed on the map.

CALDWELL: Yes, it's really fascinating that the President and his team has said, since he was inaugurated, that it is a huge priority for him to win back the House. He doesn't want to be investigated or impeached, but also to keep the Senate. And the decisions he is making is counter to those objectives on nearly a daily basis. House Republicans are freaking out, and now Senate Republicans are increasingly nervous, too.

BASH: Yes. But we also got to remember, which we talk about a lot on the show, that so much that goes into the President's decision-making is who has been, from his perspective, good to him and who hasn't --

CALDWELL: Yes.

BASH: -- been good to him or good enough to him.

Thank you all for --

MATTINGLY: It's like Manu.

RAJU: I'm good --

MATTINGLY: I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

BASH: No. We love Manu. Manu's getting a big award tonight. We'll talk about that tomorrow. Congratulations.

RAJU: Thank you.

BASH: Thank you for joining Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts after a quick break.

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