President Donald Trump still doesn’t have a major housing bill on his desk — and even when it arrives, he’s not promising to sign it.
Trump declined to commit to signing the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, telling reporters at a White House press conference that the bill remains “so unimportant” compared with his push for the SAVE America Act.
“The housing bill is a bill that could get approved. They worked on it long and hard. It’s very bipartisan; that means the Democrats like it,” Trump said, before adding, “Big deal, it’s a yawn. To me, compared to the SAVE America Act, just about everything is a big yawn.”
Trump also said the bill has not yet reached his desk. “I have not [signed it]. It hasn’t been sent to me yet. It’s coming,” he said. House Speaker Mike Johnson officially sent the bill for Trump’s signature on Monday, which starts the constitutional 10-day window for Trump to sign it, veto it or allow it to become law automatically.
Trump canceled a planned signing ceremony for the bill last week, tying his signature to passage of the SAVE Act, an election security measure that has failed repeatedly in the Senate. Republican lawmakers have said they lack the votes to pass it without eliminating the filibuster, a move GOP leadership has so far declined to make.
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, defended the delay at a House Freedom Caucus news conference, saying the president has “been very clear” that he wants the SAVE Act prioritized alongside the housing bill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, a co-sponsor of the housing bill, pledged at a press conference following the cancellation that the legislation will pass regardless. “This may be a battle, but I guarantee we will get this bill passed,” she said.
The bill passed the House 358-32 and the Senate 85-5 in June, margins large enough to override a potential veto if Congress chose to do so.
