U.S. President Donald Trump has announced that he will not sign the bipartisan Housing Affordability bill recently passed by Congress. However, under the U.S. Constitution, the legislation could still become law without his signature.
In a social media post on Friday (July 10), Trump said he was withholding his signature in protest over the Senate’s failure to pass the Save America Act. He had also previously described the housing bill as “far less important” than voting-related legislation in remarks made on June 29.
The housing bill was approved with rare bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress despite the country’s deep political divisions.
Among its key provisions, the legislation would streamline environmental reviews for housing construction projects and place a limit on the number of existing single-family homes that large Wall Street investors can own.
On June 24, Trump unexpectedly canceled a scheduled signing ceremony for the bill, a move widely seen as an effort to pressure Republican lawmakers into passing the Save America Act.
The proposed Save America Act would require proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and establish a national voter database using information provided by individual states.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that widespread voter fraud has occurred in U.S. elections, although he has not presented credible evidence to support those allegations.
The housing bill has already passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Under the U.S. Constitution, the president has 10 days (excluding Sundays) after receiving a bill to sign or veto it. If no action is taken within that period and Congress remains in session, the bill automatically becomes law without the president’s signature.
