President Trump allows landmark housing bill to become law without signature

President Donald Trump allowed landmark housing legislation to become law on Friday without his signature. He had earlier refused to sign it in protest over Congress's failure to pass voter ID legislation but did not veto the bill. Experts have said the legislation marks the most comprehensive action from Congress on lowering housing costs for renters and homebuyers in the 21st century. Americans have been frustrated with housing costs. Trump, who has repeatedly made false claims of widespread fraud altering US election results, wanted Republicans to prioritize the voter ID bill ahead of the November midterm elections. Without his veto, it became law automatically. In June, both chambers of Congress approved the housing bill - called the 21st Century Road to Housing Act - in a rare moment of bipartisan agreement. The bill aims to both reduce costs and increase housing supply, as Americans have faced housing shortages for years. It includes more than 40 provisions, including making it easier to build new homes and limiting how many single-family homes institutional investors can buy nationwide. According to the National Association of Realtors, the median price of existing homes hit an all-time high in June: $440,660, up 1.8% from a year ago. A US family needs an income of about $117,000 a year to afford an average home on the market, according to real estate brokerage Redfin, but that is nearly $30,000 more than what most US households earn, per Census data. Potential homebuyers also face high inflation and interest rates, making homeownership even more out of reach for many Americans. After Congress passed the housing legislation, Trump canceled a ceremony to sign the bill and said he would not do so until the voter ID law was passed. As recently as Friday, he reiterated his call for passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE), which would require Americans to provide ID and proof of citizenship to vote. Trump posted on social media that he would not sign the housing bill in protest over the Senate's inability to pass the SAVE Act. Republicans, who control the House and Senate by slim majorities, have said there is not enough support to get the measure through. Democrats say the SAVE legislation disenfranchises eligible voters. After Trump's Friday post, several Democrats criticized the move on social media. House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries wrote on X that Republicans would rather make it harder to vote than easier to afford a home.