Andrew Warren
A major housing affordability bill is on track to become law this week even though President Trump has declined to sign it, thanks to a constitutional provision that lets legislation take effect without a presidential signature after a set waiting period.
Why This Housing Affordability Bill Is Becoming Law Without Trump's Signature
The measure, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, was formally presented to Trump on June 29, triggering a 10 day countdown, excluding Sundays, during which Congress remains in session. Under that constitutional mechanism, a bill becomes law automatically if the president neither signs nor vetoes it within that window. That clock runs out on Friday.
Trump could still issue a veto before then. But the margins by which the bill cleared Congress in late June, 85 to 5 in the Senate and 358 to 32 in the House, suggest lawmakers would have enough votes to override a veto if he tried one. Trump has publicly dismissed the legislation, writing on Truth Social that it was "of minor importance compared to lower interest rates" and telling reporters it was "so unimportant" and "a yawn" next to the SAVE America Act, a voter identification bill he wants Congress to prioritize instead. That bill currently lacks the votes to pass the Senate.
What the Legislation Actually Does
The ROAD to Housing Act is built around supply side incentives rather than direct spending or subsidies. Its core provisions include streamlining environmental review processes that often slow down construction projects, making it easier for credit unions and banks to originate mortgages, expanding access to modular and manufactured housing, and placing restrictions on large corporate investors buying up single-family homes. The bill also proposes funding for local governments that reform restrictive zoning codes or improve regional housing planning, an attempt to work around the fact that most housing supply rules are set at the state and local level rather than federally.
The legislation has drawn support across an unusually wide coalition: mortgage lenders, homebuilders, civic groups and low-income housing advocates have all backed it. A poll from the American Property Owners Alliance, a nonprofit funded by the National Association of Realtors, found that 89% of registered voters supported the bill, according to the organization.
The Affordability Numbers Driving the Debate
The bill arrives against a backdrop of sharply rising housing costs. The median home listed for sale in the US reached $430,000 in June, up more than 34% from roughly $320,000 in mid-2019, according to Realtor.com data. Median monthly rent has climbed to around $1,951, a 40% increase from $1,392 seven years earlier, according to Zillow figures.
Morgan Stanley strategists led by James Egan wrote in a June note that the bill's effects should be
