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Donald Trump withholds signature as US housing bill becomes law
The bipartisan 21st Century Road to Housing Act, the most comprehensive federal housing legislation in decades, automatically became law on Saturday after President Donald Trump declined to sign or veto it. Trump cancelled a planned signing ceremony and said he would not sign the measure until Congress passed the SAVE America Act, a voter‑ID proposal he champions. Under the Constitution, a bill becomes law if the president takes no action within ten days, which is what occurred.
The law contains 47 provisions aimed at expanding the housing supply and lowering costs. Key measures include incentives for manufactured homes, funding to convert office buildings into apartments, programs to rehabilitate older homes, and encouragement for state and local governments to relax zoning rules. It also limits large institutional investors by prohibiting companies that own more than 350 single‑family homes from purchasing additional such properties, though existing holdings remain untouched.
While supporters hail the act as a major step toward easing the nation’s housing affordability crisis, analysts warn that tangible effects will take years, as construction and implementation depend on federal agencies, state and local actions, and market conditions such as high mortgage rates and construction costs. The episode also underscored intra‑party tensions, with Republican leaders urging Trump to sign the bill while he used the refusal to pressure Congress on voting‑law reforms.