A sweeping housing bill became law on Saturday without Donald Trump's signature, or any White House fanfare, after the president soured on a package of dozens of affordability provisions that he derided as "a yawn."
Trump's scuttled support and the dead-of-night enactment are setbacks for his allies on Capitol Hill, who had been looking to cast the law as a major bipartisan win on an issue voters are prioritizing heading into midterm elections.
Trump blindsides Republicans on housing bill
The president's turnabout also serves as a reminder of how quickly he can swerve on policy matters — even on a law that features provisions he and his own advisers negotiated. As recently as June, Trump hailed the package as "the most comprehensive and consequential housing legislation in the history of our country," according to WTTW News.
According to WTTW News, President Donald Trump ratcheted up tensions with Senate Republicans on Wednesday, abruptly canceling plans to sign a bipartisan measure that could help spur more home construction. The move blindsided Republicans who had been preparing for a signing ceremony.
GOP midterm strategy takes a hit
The housing bill was meant to be a centerpiece of the Republican midterm message. With affordability at the top of voters' minds, GOP leaders had celebrated the bipartisan package as proof they could deliver on kitchen-table issues.
In an opinion piece for USA Today, columnist Rex Huppke wrote: "President Donald Trump, in a tantrum that would make a 3-year-old blush, kneecapped his own party and canceled an affordable housing bill signing, saying it 'pales in comparison' with an election bill." The column described the move as "a perfect encapsulation of the president's second term, a foolish act by a man focused only on himself."
"Trump doesn't care about affordable housing, the GOP or you." — USA Today Opinion
How the bill became law without Trump
Despite Trump's refusal to sign it, the housing affordability bill — dubbed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — became law automatically on Saturday, according to Bloomberg via Instagram. Under the Constitution, if the president does not sign or veto a bill within 10 days while Congress is in session, it becomes law without his approval.
The bill includes dozens of affordability provisions aimed at lowering housing costs. But without Trump's endorsement, the White House offered no fanfare or celebration of the law's passage.
Our Take: A self-inflicted wound for the GOP
To put it plainly, Trump's snub of the housing bill is a gift to Democrats. Republicans had a clear, popular message on an issue that matters to millions of Americans — housing affordability. They had a bipartisan bill that showed they could work across the aisle. And then the president threw it away.
In our view, this is not just about one bill. It is about a pattern. Trump's decision to undercut his own party's midterm strategy shows that his personal grievances and shifting moods matter more to him than his party's electoral success. For Republican candidates running in the midterms, the housing bill was supposed to be a shield against Democratic attacks on affordability. Now, that shield is gone.
The question is whether Republican voters will hold the president accountable — or whether they will blame their own leaders for failing to control a president who keeps changing his mind.
