Trump says he won't sign housing bill set to become law at midnight

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WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said he won't sign a landmark affordable housing bill in protest of Congress not taking action to overhaul elections, putting the legislation on track to become law at the end of Friday, July 10 without his signature ‒ unless he unexpectedly uses his veto pen at the final hour.In a July 10 Truth Social post, Trump said he won't sign the bill because Congress hasn't passed the SAVE America Act, a stalled bill he backs that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and prohibit universal mail-in voting across the country."I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT," Trump said.The 21st Century Road to Housing Act has sat on Trump's desk since June 29 after clearing both chambers by wide margins with strong bipartisan support. The transfer of the legislation kicked off a 10-day deadline ‒ by the end of July 10 ‒ for Trump to either sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law by doing neither.Though he said in he won't sign the bill, Trump also did not say he will veto the bill, meaning the bill would automatically become law.Trump, who made his fortunes in a real estate career that spanned decades, has made clear he doesn't like the housing bill, dismissing it as a "big yawn." But vetoing the bill could be politically damaging for Republicans ahead of the midterm elections, with the rising cost of living and housing on the top of voters' minds.The housing bill is the first major piece of legislation that passed Congress in more than three decades to address the nation's affordable housing crisis. It cleared both chambers in June by overwhelming margins with strong bipartisan support, a 358-32 tally in the House and an 85-5 margin in the Senate.House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of Trump, told USA TODAY in June that Trump has no plans to veto the bill, though he expressed hope the president would sign it to "take partial ownership."The wide-ranging bill includes provisions aimed at spurring more manufactured housing, loosening regulations over small-dollar mortgages and increasing the cap that restricts how much banks can invest for projects that address low- and middle-income housing.The legislation overhauls several federal housing programs and streamlines environmental review processes for housing. It also seeks to limit large investors – those with at least 350 properties – from buying homes.Trump's SAVE America Act remains stalled in Congress despite the president repeatedly urging Senate Republicans to abolish the filibuster, the Senate's 60-vote threshold, to allow Republicans to pass the legislation with a simple majority.It's unclear whether the proposal even has support of 50 senators for an elimination of the filibuster to matter.All Senate Democrats have expressed opposition to the SAVE America Act. In addition, four Republicans ‒ Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina ‒ each voted against a motion in June to add the legislation to Republicans' $70 billion budget package.Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.