President Donald Trump’s effort to muscle Congress into passing his doomed legislative obsession has backfired and fallen flat, per The Hill, as the bill he tried to hold hostage has taken effect without his signature.
Despite GOP leaders stressing that it lacks enough votes in the Senate, Trump has demanded that Congress pass the SAVE America Act, which would impose strict new voter ID and voter registration laws. The reforms contained in the bill were largely driven by the president’s long-debunked claims about non-citizens committing widespread voter fraud, and critics have argued that the new requirements, such as presenting a birth certificate or passport when registering to vote, would disenfranchise millions of lawful voters.
Trump previously attempted to strong-arm Congress into doing what it would take to pass the SAVE Act by refusing to sign another bill, the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, into law until his priority bill was passed. The ROAD Act was designed to address housing affordability concerns, prompting some Republicans to fume over Trump blocking legislative wins that could give the GOP goodwill with midterm voters.
Now, however, Trump’s tactic has fallen apart, The Hill explained in a new report, as the ROAD Act automatically became law on Saturday due to a provision in the Constitution that allows bills to take effect after 10 days without action from the president if they pass in both chambers of Congress.
“The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a comprehensive measure aimed to address housing affordability by increasing the supply of homes and lowering costs by limiting major investors from purchasing single-family homes, among other aspects,” The Hill explained. “The bill easily passed the House and Senate, and Trump was scheduled to sign the bill into law at a Capitol Hill signing ceremony last month. However, he abruptly canceled the event just hours before it was scheduled to take place, claiming his priority was the SAVE America Act.”
The outlet continued: “His inaction was largely symbolic. The Constitution allows a bill that has passed both chambers of Congress to automatically become law if the bill is not signed or vetoed by the president within 10 days, excluding Sundays. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sent the bill to Trump’s desk on June 29, and the constitutionally mandated window closed at midnight Saturday.”
The report further cited comments from Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in which she torched Trump for ignoring the bill while pursuing other matters in his own self-interest.
“Why did President Trump sit on the landmark housing bill for more than 2 weeks? Maybe because there was nothing in it for him personally—no gold-encrusted ballroom, no Qatari jet, no $2 billion crypto deal,” Warren said in a statement. “Nothing in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing except ways to make housing more affordable. Donald Trump couldn’t pick up the pen because he just isn’t interested in lowering costs for American families.”