President Donald Trump allowed the bipartisan housing bill approved by Congress to become law without his signature on Friday, stating he refused to put his name on it due to the lack of progress on a strict voter ID bill he has been pushing.
Trump's protest over voter ID bill
“I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT,” Trump posted on social media. The president had 10 days until the Friday deadline to sign the bill, issue a veto, or allow the measure to take effect without his signature. He chose the latter, undercutting his administration's claims that combating inflation is a priority.
Trump's rejection of the bipartisan housing legislation exacerbates tensions with his own party in a midterm election year and cuts short their efforts to address a key voter concern about rising costs. His post came more than a week after he canceled plans to sign the bipartisan legislation, announcing he was using it as leverage for the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for all voters.
The housing bill's provisions
The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act aims to lower housing costs and spur more home construction. It is the broadest federal effort in decades to address America's housing affordability problems, as state and local regulations have made it difficult to build in many communities that are also sources of job growth. White House economists estimated earlier this year a national shortage of 10 million homes, and the bill could help close a portion of that gap.
However, Trump called the bill “a yawn” and “so unimportant” compared to the voting legislation. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump on social media, saying, “His priorities couldn't be clearer: higher costs for families and more power for himself.”
Republican reactions and political fallout
Trump surprised Republican lawmakers on June 24 when, shortly before a planned signing ceremony at the Capitol, he announced he would not approve the bill until lawmakers passed the voting legislation. The SAVE America Act does not have enough Republican support to pass. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said after submitting the housing bill to the White House that he told Trump to sign it with a “fattest black marker.” “I hope he does sign it,” Johnson told reporters. “If he doesn't, it's still law. We'll still celebrate it.” He acknowledged Trump was making a point about the elections bill being the top priority.
The housing bill passed the Senate on an 85-5 vote and the House approved it with a 358-32 vote. It seeks to cut federal housing rules, slim down environmental reviews, speed up home construction, and limit corporations' ability to buy single-family homes. The bill does not address all causes of housing woes, including a shortage of construction workers, climbing insurance costs, and stagnant wages.
The U.S. housing market has been a driver of affordability challenges, with skyrocketing prices keeping aspiring buyers out. The National Association of Realtors reported that the median sales price increased 1.8% in June from a year earlier to $440,600, an all-time high in data going back to 1999.
