House Democrats push Trump to sign bipartisan housing bill

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - One week after President Donald Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for a major bipartisan housing bill, House Democrats are urging him to sign the legislation into law.

Trump called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act “of minor importance” compared to the SAVE America Act - the controversial voting reform bill and his current Capitol Hill priority. The housing bill has passed both the House and Senate and is sitting on the president’s desk still without his signature.

With House votes canceled Wednesday and most members headed home for the holiday weekend, a group of Democrats stayed behind to make their case.

“Mr. President, sign the damn bill,” said Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Ore.

Rep. Val Hoyle, D-Ore., echoed that call.

“This is for the American people, this is what they want… and we need that bill signed. It’s the right thing to do,” Hoyle said.

The legislation passed both chambers at the end of June in a bipartisan effort aimed at increasing the housing supply and making homeownership more affordable across the nation.

“Congress finally got it right,” said Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev. “Over a week ago, we came together in a bipartisan manner to address an issue facing each one of us and our constituents, which is affordable housing.”

Trump has declined to sign the bill, citing his desire to see SAVE America passed first.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has already sent the Road to Housing Act to the White House, all but guaranteeing it will become law sometime next week — with or without the president’s signature. The president can, however, choose to veto the law before then.

“I hope he does sign it,” Johnson said. “If he doesn’t, it’s still law, we’ll still celebrate it, but he’s trying to make a point, and I think he’s making it very effectively.”

For some Democrats, the standoff points to a broader concern around affordability heading into the midterm elections, now just months away.

“People in my district have suffered their lives and their livelihoods because of Trump’s economic policies,” said Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev.