“It’s a big deal, it’s a yawn,” Trump said, referring to the bipartisan housing bill that passed Congress with veto protection and has yet to be signed into law.
President Donald Trump has yet to put any major housing legislation on the table. And even if the bill arrives, he has not promised to sign it.
President Trump has refused to commit to signing the bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act, telling reporters at a White House press briefing that the bill is “less important” than his SAVE America Act.
“The housing bill is a bill that could pass. They worked long and hard. It’s very bipartisan. I mean, the Democrats like it,” Trump said, adding, “It’s a big deal. This is a yawn. To me, compared to the SAVE America Act, almost everything is a big yawn.”
President Trump also said the bill has not yet reached his desk. “I haven’t [signed it]. It hasn’t been sent to me yet. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday formally sent the bill to Mr. Trump for his signature, beginning a constitutional 10-day window in which Mr. Trump must sign the bill, veto it, or automatically become law.
President Trump last week canceled a scheduled bill-signing ceremony to tie his signature to passage of the SAVE Act, an election security measure that has repeatedly failed in the Senate. Republican lawmakers have argued they don’t have enough votes to pass the bill without eliminating the filibuster, but Republican leaders have so far refused.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) defended the delay at a House Freedom Caucus press conference, saying the president has made it “very clear” that he wants to prioritize the SAVE Act alongside the housing bill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a co-sponsor of the housing bill, promised in a news conference after the suspension that the bill would pass anyway. “This may be a battle, but I guarantee you we will pass this bill,” she said.
The bill passed the House 358-32 and the Senate 85-5 in June, a margin large enough to override a potential veto if Congress chose to do so.
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