Landmark Housing Bill Becomes Law Without Trump’s Signature

WASHINGTON — A sweeping bipartisan housing bill became law at 12 a.m. Saturday after President Donald Trump declined to sign it, a protest over the Senate’s failure to pass an unrelated elections measure.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is the most comprehensive housing legislation in decades, aimed at increasing the supply of homes and lowering costs. Among its provisions are limits on institutional investors purchasing certain single-family homes, a Federal Housing Administration pilot program for small-dollar mortgages, streamlined zoning frameworks and higher FHA loan limits for multifamily properties.

Broad Bipartisan Support

The bill cleared the Senate 85-5 on June 22 and the House 358-32 the following day. It combines provisions drawn from more than 60 separate bills, most introduced with bipartisan sponsorship. House Speaker Mike Johnson formally sent the measure to the White House on June 29.

Under the Constitution, a bill passed by both chambers becomes law if the president neither signs nor vetoes it within 10 days, excluding Sundays, while Congress is in session.

Signing Ceremony Canceled

Trump had been scheduled to sign the bill at a Capitol Hill ceremony in June but abruptly canceled the event on June 24, saying he would not sign until Congress approved the SAVE America Act, legislation that would impose new voter identification and proof-of-citizenship requirements for registration.

On Friday, Trump reiterated on social media that he would not sign the housing bill “in PROTEST” over the Senate’s inaction on the elections measure.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, the bill’s leading Democratic proponent in the Senate, criticized the president for holding the legislation for more than two weeks. “At the stroke of midnight, a huge bipartisan bill to lower housing costs became law without the President’s signature,” she said in a statement.

Rare but Not Unprecedented

Presidents occasionally allow bills to become law without a signature. In 2016, President Barack Obama let a 10-year extension of the Iran Sanctions Act take effect without signing it after it passed the Senate 99-0.

Addressing Affordability

Housing costs have become a major concern for voters, with home prices and rents elevated and mortgage rates well above the lows of the early 2020s. Polling by the American Property Owners Alliance found that 89% of voters support the main objectives of the legislation.

Federal agencies, including the Department of Housing and Urban Development, will now be responsible for implementing the law’s programs, a process that housing industry groups expect to unfold over the coming months and years.