Democrats criticize Trump on housing bill
Democrats criticize President Trump after he refuses to sign a major housing bill that will still become law without his signature.
WASHINGTON — A landmark affordable housing bill became federal law at midnight July 11 without President Donald Trump’s signature after he refused to sign the legislation in protest of Congress not passing an unrelated bill to overhaul voting in elections.
The bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act had sat on Trump’s desk since June 29 after clearing both chambers by wide margins with strong bipartisan support. Because he neither signed nor vetoed the bill after 10 days, the bill automatically became law without any action.
After being noncommittal about his plans, Trump in a July 10 Truth Social post said he wouldn’t sign the bill because Congress hasn’t passed the SAVE America Act, a stalled bill he backs that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and prohibit universal mail-in voting across the country.
“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 said.
Yet Trump also chose not to use his veto pen.
Trump, who made his fortunes in a real estate career that spanned decades, made clear in recent days he doesn’t like the housing bill, dismissing it as a “big yawn.” But vetoing the bill could have been politically damaging for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, with the rising cost of living and housing on the top of voters’ minds.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, one of the lead sponsors of the bill, celebrated in a post on X when the legislation officially became federal law.
“BREAKING: the clock struck midnight and our bipartisan housing bill is now law,” Warren said. “Trump refused to sign it, but he couldn’t stop it. This law is GROUNDBREAKING. It will build more housing, bring down costs, and for the first time, stop private equity from buying up homes.”
The housing bill is the first major piece of legislation that passed Congress in more than three decades to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis. It cleared both chambers in June by overwhelming margins with strong bipartisan support, a 358-32 tally in the House and an 85-5 margin in the Senate.
The wide-ranging bill includes provisions aimed at spurring more manufactured housing, loosening regulations over small-dollar mortgages and increasing the cap that restricts how much banks can invest for projects that address low- and middle-income housing.
The legislation overhauls several federal housing programs and streamlines environmental review processes for housing. It also seeks to limit large investors – those with at least 350 properties – from buying homes.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
