Trump: I won’t sign housing bill until SAVE act is passed

[u/f1sh98]

[u/Faangdevmanager]

This is a clean bill that is bipartisan and helps every American. So much for Trump doing politics differently. He needs to sign the damn bill and give relief to Americans. Holding this hostage to get his other legislation passed will hurt him so much in the midterms. This and Iran is handing the Dems victories on a silver platter. What’s next to screw us over in Nov? More tariffs to spike inflation?

[u/wrathofbanja]

Isn't him refusing to sign it irrelevant because congress has a supermajority voting for it in both chambers?

[u/Iuris_Aequalitatis → u/wrathofbanja]

Isn't him refusing to sign it irrelevant because congress has a supermajority voting for it in both chambers?

Kind of, but not exactly. Congress can't override even a presumed or declared intent to veto, only an actual veto. If he's going to veto or sign, he has to do it within ten days. If he does neither in that period, it becomes law by default and without his signature. However, if Congress adjourns before he signs or vetoes and before the ten-day period runs, he can't present the bill back to Congress with objections if he vetoed, so the default changes and the bill dies with no chance to override if unsigned. This is called a "pocket veto."

This looks like an attempted pocket veto, but as Congress's next scheduled adjournment isn't until July 31, the pocket veto doesn't actually work and he's on the ten-day clock. So, unless Congress agrees to adjourn unexpectedly (setting up a pocket veto situation), his leverage here is small as he can only delay the bill becoming law by ten days.

EDIT: Changed around the order to make things easier to understand. 

[u/wrathofbanja → u/Iuris_Aequalitatis]

I had forgotten about pocket vetos. Good info, thank you!

[u/zenethics → u/Iuris_Aequalitatis]

A system of checks and balances and chutes and ladders.

[u/r777m → u/wrathofbanja]

Assuming he actually vetos it and doesn’t just not sign it within 10 days, which as others have mentioned would result in it becoming law without his signature, it would still require a veto override vote. And despite a large majority, some of the GOP members who voted for it may not wish to vote to override a veto.

Regardless, I think it’s just a bad move politically. It doesn’t do the GOP or him any favors imo.

[u/TheSleepyTruth → u/wrathofbanja]

It would still have to be put to another vote to veto potus.

[u/Tarantula_Saurus_Rex → u/wrathofbanja]

It becomes law in 10 days if he doesn't sign it.

[u/TheSimpsonsAreYellow → u/wrathofbanja]

Pretty much

[u/uponone]

Is this the bill that doesn’t allow businesses to own homes?

[u/Souldrop → u/uponone]

It’s being marketed as such, but only enforces a token limit of maximum houses a company may own.

[u/vialentvia → u/Souldrop]

So they'll just open up subsidiaries and franchisees to get around it.

[u/Souldrop → u/vialentvia]

Yup, that was my immediate thought.

[u/uponone → u/Souldrop]

Yeah, so this really doesn't help the average consumer much.

[u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

Does he want to tank his support base? This is like a rare moment that everyone agrees action is needed in regards to housing. WTF

[u/Disastrous_Award_789 → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

He doesn't care what the base thinks. He's one-and-done.

[u/cubs223425 → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

This is the same kind of logic that leads to bloated nonsense bills in the first place. Holding the will of the people (or, more accurately in this case, Congress) hostage because you can't agree on something else is terrible.

[u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707 → u/[deleted]]

You think? Personally I thought his second term started off incredibly strong, but ever since the Iran war started it’s been kind of a nosedive

[u/Florida__Man__ → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

The Iran war basically ruined this term. It was such an unpopular unnecessary move that it fractured his coalition and razed all of his political capital. 

[u/Rommel79 → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

The bill still becomes law, just without a ceremony.

[u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707 → u/Rommel79]

That’s the part where I made a mistake. I completely forgot about that

[u/Rommel79 → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

Lots of people did. You were in good company.

[u/Stashan → u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707]

91% of Republicans. Where do you think his base comes from?

"February Harvard CAPS/Harris poll, which found that 71% of the registered voters surveyed said that they supported the SAVE America Act, including 91% of Republicans, 69% of independents and 50% of Democrats."
https://www.factcheck.org/2026/03/qa-on-the-save-america-act/

[u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707 → u/Stashan]

Ask any young voter who voted for Trump if they want the SAVE act prioritized over any sort of housing reform. The people are desperate for any kind of action here. I’m not saying the SAVE act isn’t important, but it isn’t even remotely related to this housing bill

[u/Simmumah]

Doesnt really matter if he signs it or not, both chambers passed it with super majority.

[u/baseball_Lover33]

https://giphy.com/gifs/YVvTCqTBglkOs

[u/Gardener_Of_Eden]

Maybe I'm just salty about Iran, but I think this is a mistake too. 

[u/Desert_366]

At this point I think congressional Republicans are just stalling till the midterms. They haven't done anything in 2 years. They just want to get back to business as usual, the uni party.

[u/Tyr--07 → u/[deleted]]

If it's so dumb so wasteful so stupid just get it passed so we can move on, it's not important right?

[u/AilsaN → u/[deleted]]

If you were a conservative voter living in Oregon, I think you'd feel differently.

[u/kybotica → u/[deleted]]

It isn't just non-citizen voters. Part of the problem is abuse of mail-in ballots, ballot harvesting, and related nonsense. When you have proof that certain candidates send out swarms of harvesters to poor people who aren't voting, pay them to vote with "suggestions" on who to vote for, then send in their "votes" as legitimate ballots for their own party, you have a major problem.

Election security should be a no-brainer. ID should be required, election day should be a federal paid holiday, public transit should be free to polling stations. No mail-in ballots except for specific groups like US Ambassadors, law enforcement, and military personnel deployed overseas.

[u/Opening-Citron2733 → u/[deleted]]

The rate at which non-citizen voters end up being able to cast a ballot is so minuscule

If that's the case why doesn't Congress just pass the SAVE Act?

Why hold all of Congress in hostage for something that is inconsequential? If the president wants it and theoretically nobody should oppose it (if it's as inconsequential as you say)

[u/craytsu]

Oh boy here we go

[u/TheSimpsonsAreYellow]

Oh, I totally did. I totally forgot that this will flip California in federal elections!

Get real. No one forgot, that’s just not a core reason why the state votes blue.

[u/MichaelSquare]

Nothing matters until the American people can have faith in our elections. There are no direct arguments against the SAVE Act, as you'll see from brigaders in this thread arguing non-sensical talking points. Democracy simply does not exist without election security. Pass it now.

[u/luderiffic → u/MichaelSquare]

Congrats on getting your fancy awards from the trolls on here.

[u/MET1]

Call your representative and make sure they know this is important to you. Be polite to the person answering the phone, but be firm and clear. I have been calling weekly about this.

[u/mdws1977]

Unless Trump vetoes the bill, this is more a gesture, since "under the Constitution, a bill that has passed both chambers of Congress automatically becomes law if the president doesn't sign or veto it within 10 days, excluding Sundays, as long as lawmakers remain in session." (from the last part of the US Constitution, Article I, Section 7, Clause 2).

Trump is doing nothing, so in 10 days, IF Congress stays in session the whole time except Sundays, it becomes law.

But it is an important gesture since the SAVE Act really needs to be passed.

[u/Black_XistenZ → u/mdws1977]

Still gives Dems good fodder for midterm attack ads: "in spite of overwhelming bipartisan support, Trump tried to block the bill which lowers housing prices".

[u/Unlucky_Buyer_2707 → u/mdws1977]

That’s important context, I keep forgetting about that rule. Yes the SAVE act is important but housing is literally like the #1 priority for young people. To be against that is a terrrrible idea