Bipartisan Housing Bill to Become Law Despite Trump's Refusal to Sign

President Trump on Friday said he wouldn't sign a bipartisan housing affordability bill, however the measure can become law without his signature.

The Details: The housing bill, which will be automatically enacted on Saturday unless Trump vetoes it, includes provisions to put a cap on the number of single-family homes big Wall Street investors can own and also wave or speed up environmental reviews for home construction. In June, both the House and Senate voted to pass the legislation, which many news outlets reported was a "rare" bipartisan win. In a social media post, Trump said he was refusing to sign "in protest" over the Senate not passing the SAVE America Act – voting legislation that would require proof of citizenship and proof of photo identification to vote in elections.

For Context: Trump previously cancelled the signing of the housing legislation in June as part of an effort to incentivize Congress to pass the SAVE America Act.

'Hard Time For Republicans': Reuters (Center bias) reported that the legislation allows Republicans and Democrats to "take some credit for acting to tame the high cost of living," however that Trump's refusal to sign might mean Republicans "have a tougher time boasting." It cited House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries who said, "Republicans would rather ​make it harder to vote ​than easier to afford ⁠a home." The outlet said that Republicans "need to show progress on the cost of living issue" as they head into midterm elections. The Hill (Center) said Trump was "taking the wind out of a potential GOP win." New York Times (Lean Left) said Trump's refusal is "a remarkable dismissal by a president of efforts by his own party to address a major political vulnerability."

Housing Costs: Fox News (Right), Newsmax (Right) and NPR (Lean Left) contextualized the bipartisan legislation within recent data on housing costs. Fox News cited a report from the National Association of Realtors showing the median home price had reached an all-time high of $440,600 – a 1.8% increase from 2025. NPR cited Realtor.com, which reported a household making $75,000 a year can afford fewer than a quarter of the home listings available. The Associated Press (Lean Left) reported the bill doesn't address all the causes of the "country's housing woes," including a "shortage of construction workers, climbing insurance costs" and wages that aren't keeping up with rising costs. AP differed from most outlets in its verbiage of Trump's refusal by saying he "will let the bill become law without signing."

The SAVE Act: The Guardian (Left) described the SAVE Act as "restrictions on voting," while Fox News described the bill's intention to "prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections." Just the News (Lean Right) called the legislation "a marquis election integrity bill that primarily includes voter ID provisions." Many outlets in the center and on the left said that Trump has long falsely claimed voter fraud in US elections.

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