President Trump refused to sign a bill to pay for major housing reform this summer, yet the measure became law anyway, a quirk of the Constitution that…
President Trump refused to sign a bill to pay for major housing reform this summer, yet the measure became law anyway, a quirk of the Constitution that closed out one of the more unusual legislative sagas in recent memory. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the first significant housing affordability law in three decades, took effect after a mandatory 10 day waiting period expired following congressional passage in late June.
The bill cleared both the House and Senate with broad bipartisan support. That made Trump's refusal to sign it all the more notable. Because he neither signed nor vetoed the legislation, and because Congress stayed in session, it became law automatically once the waiting period ran out.
Why Trump Balked at the Signing Ceremony
Trump canceled a planned signing ceremony for the housing bill, arguing that congressional Republicans should instead prioritize the SAVE America Act, a strict voter identification proposal that has stalled in the Senate for lack of votes to beat a filibuster. He later dismissed the housing law itself as
