WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said he will not sign a landmark affordable housing bill in protest of Congress not taking action to overturn the election, putting the legislation on track to become law by the end of Friday, July 10, without his signature unless he unexpectedly uses his veto pen at the last minute.
In a July 10 Truth Social post, Trump said he would not sign the bill because Congress has not passed the Save America Act. He supports a stalled bill that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and ban universal mail-in voting nationwide.
Trump said, “I will not sign the housing bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in protest of the fact that the United States Senate has not been able to pass the Save America Act.”
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act has been on Trump’s desk since June 29 after being approved by wide margins in both houses with strong bipartisan support. The transfer of the legislation missed a 10-day deadline at the end of July 10 in which Trump would have to either sign the bill, veto it or, failing that, allow it to become law.
Although he said he would not sign the bill, Trump also did not say he would veto the bill, meaning the bill would automatically become law.
Trump, who made his fortune in a decades-long real estate career, has made it clear he doesn’t like the housing bill, dismissing it as a “big yawn.” But vetoing the bill before the midterm elections could be politically damaging for Republicans, as the rising cost of living and housing remains top of voters’ minds.
What’s in the housing bill?
The housing bill is the first major legislation passed by Congress in more than three decades to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis. It cleared both chambers in June with strong bipartisan support, 358–32 in the House and 85–5 in the Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close Trump ally, told USA TODAY in June that Trump had no plans to veto the bill, though he hoped the president would sign it to “take partial ownership.”
The sweeping bill includes provisions aimed at promoting more manufactured housing, loosening rules on small-dollar mortgages and raising limits that restrict how much banks can invest for projects addressing low- and moderate-income housing.
This legislation reforms several federal housing programs and streamlines environmental review processes for housing. It also seeks to prevent big investors, who own at least 350 properties, from buying homes.
Why is Trump linking this to voting legislation?
Trump’s Save America Act is stalled in Congress despite the president repeatedly urging Senate Republicans to eliminate the filibuster, the Senate’s 60-vote threshold that allows Republicans to pass legislation with a simple majority.
It is not clear whether the proposal to end the filibuster has the support of even 50 senators.
All Senate Democrats have expressed opposition to the Save America Act. In addition, four Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, each voted against a proposal to add the legislation to Republicans’ $70 billion budget package in June.