President Donald Trump said Friday he will refuse to sign a bipartisan housing bill that cleared Congress by veto-proof margins, escalating a standoff over an unrelated voting measure and testing the limits of a president’s power to block legislation lawmakers have already approved.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he would withhold his signature “in PROTEST” of the Senate’s failure to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register and photo identification to vote in federal elections. The House passed that measure in February, but it has stalled in the Senate, where Republicans lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
The housing measure, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, passed the House 358–32 last month after clearing the Senate. It would bar large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes and ease building regulations to expand supply amid a nationwide affordability crisis; median home prices have recently topped $400,000.
Trump’s refusal may carry little practical effect. Under Article 1, Section 7 of the US Constitution, a bill becomes law without a president’s signature if he takes no action within 10 days, excluding Sundays, while Congress remains in session. Because lawmakers have held pro forma sessions rather than formally adjourning, the housing bill is positioned to become law regardless of Trump’s stance.
Trump also renewed his demand that Senate Majority Leader John Thune eliminate the filibuster to force the voting bill through, warning that any Republican who blocks it faces political consequences. Thune has declined, saying the votes are not there.
Critics of the bill say the citizenship-proof requirement could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters who lack ready access to documents such as passports or birth certificates. Unlike many countries, the United States has no national identity card, and no level of government automatically issues photo ID to citizens. As a result, millions of eligible voters hold neither a government-issued photo ID nor ready proof of citizenship. Requiring both, opponents argue, would erect a barrier at the ballot box for people who are fully entitled to vote.
