Trump calls housing bill 'big yawn' next to election security push

US President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed a bipartisan housing bill awaiting his decision on Capitol Hill as a "big yawn," telling reporters at the White House that the legislation remains far less significant than his stalled election security proposal. "I don't know," Trump said when asked about his plans for the housing bill. "I think it's so unimportant compared to the Save America Act. I think the Save America Act is exactly what it says, it's saving America from crooked elections."

The president scrapped a planned Capitol Hill bill-signing ceremony last week after insisting that Congress first take up the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act — a Republican-backed elections measure that has stalled in the Senate. The housing bill, formally titled the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, seeks to boost housing supply and expand homeownership to improve affordability. Despite media reports suggesting House Speaker Mike Johnson transmitted the bill to the White House on Monday, Trump stated he has not yet received it.

Senate opposition cited

"It hasn't been sent to me yet. It's coming, I understand," Trump said, adding: "It's a yawn ... compared to the Save America Act, just about everything is a big yawn." He noted that he is skeptical the SAVE America Act will clear the Senate, citing opposition from Republican lawmakers who he said would likely prevent the measure from passing. "I'd like to have the SAVE America Act added on. Now, it's probably not going to happen because we have four Republican senators, maybe five, that just won't vote for it. It's crazy," he said.

The president can sign the housing bill into law, veto it, or take no action — in which case it will automatically become law after 10 days, excluding Sundays, which falls on July 10. The legislation has garnered bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress amid growing concerns over housing affordability nationwide.