The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law at midnight Saturday without President Donald Trump’s signature, which he withheld to protest Senate inaction on the SAVE America Act, CBS News reported.
Trump neither signed nor vetoed the bill. Under the Constitution, a bill passed by both chambers becomes law automatically if the president does neither within 10 days, excluding Sundays.
House Speaker Mike Johnson sent the measure to Trump on June 29, starting that clock. CBS News described it as the most comprehensive housing legislation in decades.
Both chambers approved the measure by wide bipartisan margins.
What the Law Does
The law includes more than 45 provisions, many aimed at expanding affordable housing development by removing regulatory barriers and streamlining environmental reviews.
It creates a pilot program to help local governments convert vacant commercial buildings into affordable housing. The law also opens more federal funding for factory-built homes.
Another provision eliminates a rule requiring homes to be built on a chassis, the steel framework used to transport them.
The measure creates an innovation fund for communities expanding their housing supply and supports housing opportunities for veterans. It also limits institutional investors from buying certain single-family homes.
Those restrictions apply to existing homes, not new construction. Supporters say those limits cut competition to benefit homebuyers. Because they apply to existing homes rather than new construction, incentives for firms to invest in new building remain intact.
Why Trump Withheld His Signature
Trump had been scheduled to sign the legislation at a Capitol Hill ceremony last month but canceled the event hours before it was to begin.
In a Truth Social post Friday, Trump said he would not sign the housing bill to protest the Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act, according to a previous Virginia Times report.
Trump said the elections measure would require voters to show photo identification and proof of citizenship. He also said it would end most mail-in voting, with exceptions for military members, disabled voters, illness and travel.
Trump claimed the SAVE America Act had 97% support among Republicans. He cited no source, and the figure could not be independently verified.
He also urged the Senate to eliminate the filibuster and pass the elections measure along with other Republican legislation, including upcoming budget and debt ceiling bills.
Senate Republican leaders have repeatedly said the elections bill does not have enough support to pass, CBS News reported.
Trump called the housing measure “a yawn” and said it was unimportant compared with the elections bill.
Political Reaction
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the legislation’s chief Senate proponent, criticized Trump for withholding his signature. She said the law was intended to lower housing costs and accused him of being uninterested in reducing costs for American families.
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican who met with Trump multiple times on the issue late last month, said the bill contained “a lot of great things.” He also said he had encouraged Trump to sign it.
Johnson nevertheless expected the measure to take effect without Trump’s signature.
“If he doesn’t, it’s still law; we’ll still celebrate it,” — House Speaker Mike Johnson
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