Washington Awaits Next Move on Stalled Bipartisan Housing Bill

Housing experts hunted for signs of progress on the comprehensive housing bill awaiting a presidential sign-off on Friday.

President Donald Trump put the landmark 21st Century Road to Housing Act in limbo after he abruptly canceled signing it. The president wants to see Congress pass an unrelated voter identification bill, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

The House passed the housing legislation in a 358-32 vote on Tuesday night, one day after the Senate easily approved the bill by a vote of 85-5. The legislation's 45 provisions are aimed at cutting red tape and encouraging the construction of more homes.

Trump, though, said on Wednesday that the housing bill, a rare bipartisan compromise that he earlier championed, was "of minor importance" compared with the SAVE Act.

"We have to pass the SAVE America Act to protect our sacred elections. We have to pass it," Trump said Friday in remarks at a Faith & Freedom Coalition conference, where he didn't mention the housing bill.

A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) told Realtor.com® late Thursday that Johnson would submit the bill to Trump. Once he receives it, the president has 10 days to either sign or veto the measure. If he takes no action while Congress is in session, it will automatically become law.

The president could always veto the bill. While this week's vote appears to be a veto-proof majority, it would also require Republicans to vote against Trump. And Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee ranking member Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), one of the bill's main architects, said in an interview with WGBH Boston on Friday that she'd heard nothing about when Trump would actually get the bill.

"We don't know what happens now," Warren said. "So, keep an eye. Ten days. One way or the other."

Hopes for reform

Housing experts around Washington mostly seemed hopeful the impasse would be solved in short order.

"I do believe this legislation will become law at some point," Jim Tobin, CEO of the National Association of Home Builders, told Yahoo Finance.

In a statement, the National Association of Realtors® reiterated its support for the measure.

Shannon McGahn, executive vice president and chief advocacy officer at NAR, called the bill "a major milestone and a testament to what can happen when lawmakers come together to address one of the nation's most pressing challenges.

"The overwhelming bipartisan support for this legislation reflects a growing consensus that America needs more homes, greater affordability, and more pathways to homeownership," she said.

"Realtors® across the country have worked tirelessly to help build that momentum, and we applaud Congress for advancing meaningful solutions to increase housing supply and expand homeownership opportunities."

Optimism for more work

Democrats continued to hold the bill as a reason to criticize Trump. A number released statements vociferously opposing the SAVE Act.

"Trump is holding this bipartisan bill hostage for radical legislation that would disenfranchise millions of voters and restrict access to vote by mail," Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) said in a statement.

Republicans, meanwhile, continued to talk as though the bill was about to pass, including House Financial Services Committee Chair Rep. French Hill (R-AR), who helped push it through the House.

"I'm really looking forward to President Trump signing this bill into law," Hill said on Fox. "It's a real priority for both the House and the Senate, Republicans and Democrats to tackle this issue that affects every American family."

Within Congress, though, Warren also said she thinks the bill helped stoke a sense of working together to solve a problem in a way that could make it easier to pass more housing laws.

"It created more tolerance for, 'I'll let you do some of the things that you think are good, even though they're not exactly how I would have gone," Warren said on WGBH. "That's a good sign, not just for this. But I'm ready for Housing Bill 2.0. I'm ready to go again."