A bipartisan U.S. housing package became law overnight after President Donald Trump refused to sign it, turning a fight over housing costs into a new clash over voting rules and presidential power.
The 21st Century Road to Housing Act is aimed at expanding home supply and homeownership by easing regulations on construction and limiting purchases of family homes by Wall Street investors. The bill cleared Congress last month with veto-proof margins, passing 85-5 in the Senate and 358-32 in the House.
Trump declined to sign the legislation because the Senate had not advanced a separate voting bill, the Save America Act. That measure would require photo identification at polling places and proof of citizenship before voter registration. Democrats have rejected it, and it would need 60 votes to move through the Senate.
In a social media post Friday, Trump said he would not sign the housing bill “in PROTEST” over the Senate’s handling of the voting legislation. Because he also did not veto the housing measure within 10 days of receiving it from Congress, it became law at midnight Saturday.
Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who led work on the bill as chair of the Senate Banking Committee, said the new law puts homeownership closer for families. “The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act will help more Americans plant roots, build stability, and pass opportunity to the next generation,” he said.
Sen. Mike Rounds, a South Dakota Republican, called the bill “a good example of what we can accomplish when we work together.”
Democrats used the moment to criticise Trump’s refusal to sign. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said: “Donald Trump couldn’t pick up the pen because he just isn’t interested in lowering costs for American families.”
For readers outside the United States, the episode shows a rarely watched part of the U.S. lawmaking process: a president can let a bill become law without approving it. The White House response was not immediately available.
