House Speaker Says President Likely Won't Veto Housing Bill
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Speaker Mike Johnson told USA TODAY that President Donald Trump is expected to allow the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act to become law, either by signing it or by not vetoing it within the constitutional window.
Washington — Speaker Mike Johnson said President Donald Trump is unlikely to veto the bipartisan housing legislation passed by Congress, meaning the bill will become law whether or not the president signs it. Johnson told USA TODAY after a two-hour meeting in the Oval Office that Trump said he would "think about it" and that they would discuss it again later in the week.
Johnson added that the president has ten days, excluding Sundays, to act on the measure, which was formally transmitted to the White House on June 29. If Trump neither signs nor vetoes the bill within that period, it will automatically become law.
The legislation, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, aims to increase affordable housing. Johnson said the bill contains "a lot of great policy, a lot of important things that he and I both promised to the voters."
Earlier, Trump dismissed the housing bill as "a big yawn" and said he would not support it until the SAVE America Act, a voting-law proposal, passes the Senate. The SAVE America Act, which requires proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo ID for voting, remains stalled in the Senate despite multiple House approvals.
Johnson indicated he is working to combine the SAVE America Act with a defense policy bill to satisfy the president, though some hard-right Republicans remain opposed. The ongoing negotiations come as the GOP-controlled House faces internal disputes and an upcoming congressional recess before the midterm elections.