President Trump’s White House makeover extends to the iconic entrance pillars
Another White House renovation project is in full swing as President Trump expands the makeover to include the iconic columns outside the front entrance.
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump appears intent on passing a landmark affordable housing bill into law without his signature by Friday, July 10, saying he will not sign it in protest of Congress’ failure to pass an unrelated bill in favor of overhauling federal elections.
President Trump said in a post on Truth Social on July 10 that he would not sign the bill because Congress had not passed the SAVE America Act, which would require a photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and ban mail-in voting nationwide.
“I will not sign any housing bill that has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House in protest of the fact that the United States Senate is incapable of passing the American Rescue Act,” President Trump said in a statement.
The 21st Century Housing Act passed both houses of Congress by wide margins with strong bipartisan support and has sat on President Trump’s desk since June 29th. The bill’s transfer begins a 10-day deadline (by the end of July 10) for President Trump to sign the bill, veto it, or do neither.
President Trump said he would not sign the bill, but he also did not say he would veto it, meaning it would automatically become law.
Trump, who made his fortune over a decades-long career in real estate, has made it clear he doesn’t like the bill, dismissing it as a “big yawn.” But voters’ biggest concern is the rising cost of living and housing, and vetoing the bill ahead of the midterm elections could be politically damaging for Republicans.
The housing bill is the first major piece of legislation passed by Congress in more than 30 years to address the nation’s affordable housing crisis. In June, it passed both chambers of Congress by overwhelming margins, 358-32 in the House and 85-5 in the Senate, with strong bipartisan support.
The sweeping bill includes provisions aimed at encouraging more manufactured housing, loosening regulations on small mortgage loans and raising caps on how much banks can invest in projects addressing low- and moderate-income housing.
This legislation overhauls several federal housing programs and streamlines the environmental review process for housing. It also seeks to restrict large investors who own at least 350 properties from buying homes.
X Contact Joey Garrison at @joeygarrison.
