Housing bill set to become law without presidential signature
President Trump said Friday he will not sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan housing bill that Congress passed by wide margins in June, demanding that lawmakers first pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and impose voter identification requirements nationwide. The housing bill is set to become law automatically if Trump takes no action; the White House did not clarify whether the president plans to veto the legislation.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote that he would not sign the housing bill, saying “THE SAVE AMERICA ACT’S non-passage is CRAZY, and a serious threat to any politician who votes against it!” He has been pressing the Senate to pass the measure for months, but top Republicans in the chamber have said it lacks enough support.
Trump canceled the original signing ceremony last month, surprising lawmakers and real estate industry leaders who had spent months lobbying on the bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson later said he would send the legislation to the president’s desk after meeting with the White House.
The housing bill includes a ban on institutional investors purchasing single-family homes — a provision Trump pushed for earlier this year — as well as measures aimed at making it easier to build homes and improve affordability. Home builders and developers say the bill could help at the margins, but most obstacles to housing production remain tied to local zoning and building regulations over which the federal government has no authority.
With midterm elections four months away, federal lawmakers are counting on the law to show voters they are addressing the high cost of living. The bill passed both chambers with sweeping bipartisan support in June after months of negotiations.