President Donald Trump said Friday he would allow a bipartisan housing bill to become law without his signature as a protest over the Senate’s failure to pass a strict voter identification bill he has been pushing.
“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, according to the White House. He had 10 days until the Friday deadline to sign the bill, veto it or let it take effect without his signature.
The measure, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, aims to lower housing costs and spur more home construction. White House economists estimated earlier this year a national shortage of about 10 million homes, and the administration said the bill could help close part of that gap.
Trump called the bill “a yawn” and “so unimportant” compared with legislation that would require proof of citizenship for all voters. He surprised Republican lawmakers on June 24 by cancelling a planned signing ceremony and saying he would use the bill as leverage to press for the SAVE America Act, which does not have enough Republican support to pass, according to lawmakers.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., urged Trump to sign the housing bill after submitting it to the White House. “I hope he does sign it,” Johnson told reporters. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer criticized Trump’s move on X, saying, “His priorities couldn’t be clearer: higher cost for families and more power for himself.” The housing bill passed the Senate 85-5 and the House 358-32. The legislation aims to cut federal housing rules, speed environmental reviews, make it faster to build homes and limit corporate purchases of single-family homes, though it does not address all causes of the nation’s housing shortages, lawmakers and advocates said.
The National Association of Realtors said Thursday that the median sales price rose 1.8% in June from a year earlier to $440,600, an all-time high on data going back to 1999. Associated Press reporter Kevin Freking contributed to this report.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
