Johnson says Trump won’t veto bipartisan housing bill
House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence that a bipartisan housing package, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, will become law even if President Donald Trump chooses not to sign it. Johnson met with Trump and urged him to sign the bill, which has overwhelming congressional support, but Trump indicated he would consider it. Johnson believes trump is unlikely to veto the bill, expecting the president to either sign it or let it pass into law.
Meanwhile, Johnson is also working to pass the SAVE America Act, which requires proof of U.S.citizenship to register to vote, as part of other legislative efforts. Trump previously refused to sign the housing bill, citing his preference for the voting legislation. Johnson reassured that Congress will continue to push both measures simultaneously,with the House using the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to incorporate the SAVE America Act and advance it through the Senate,though resistance from some Senators remains.
Additionally, some Republicans, led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, have opposed procedural moves to bring the voting legislation to the House floor until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act, highlighting ongoing intra-party disagreements. Johnson’s strategy involves linking the voting bill to broader defense legislation, but critics like Luna emphasize the importance of including thier amendment directly in the NDAA to ensure passage.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he is confident a bipartisan housing package will become law even if President Donald Trump never signs it, arguing the White House and congressional Republicans are pursuing parallel tracks to advance the president’s election priorities.
In an interview with USA Today published Monday, Johnson said he met with Trump and urged him to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act after it cleared both chambers with overwhelming support, but Trump said he would think about it.
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The comments come after Trump last week refused to sign the sweeping housing bill aimed at making homes more affordable, saying he wanted Congress to first pass the SAVE America Act, legislation requiring proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote. On Monday, Trump called the measure “a big yawn” and less important than his voting act.
“I said, ‘Mr. President, we can walk and chew gum at the same time,’” Johnson said of his conversation with Trump on Monday. The House leader said the GOP-controlled chamber would continue pushing the president’s voting legislation while allowing the already approved housing measure to move through the constitutional process.
Trump has 10 days to either sign the legislation or veto it, but Johnson said the president would not kill the landmark bill.
“He won’t veto the bill,” Johnson said. “We already know that. He’ll either allow it to just go into law, or he’ll put his signature on it and take partial ownership, and I hope he does the latter.”
Johnson has simultaneously worked to satisfy Trump’s demands to pass the SAVE America Act, but his colleagues have not exactly made it easy for him.
Last week, a group of Republicans led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) staged a mutiny, vowing to vote against procedural measures to bring legislation to the House floor until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act.
Luna’s move followed Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) moving forward with the chamber’s July 4 recess. The SAVE America Act has passed the House multiple times but has not had an easy time in the Senate.
To advance the measure, Johnson found another legislative vehicle: the annual National Defense Authorization Act, one of Congress’s must-pass bills. Whether the defense bill reaches the House floor this week, however, remained uncertain as lawmakers continued negotiations over the broader bill.
“We’re going to pass a MIRV, or what’s better known as a merge, onto the rule, so what that means is when Republicans vote for the rule, they will be voting not just for the NDAA and everything else is there, but they’ll be voting to merge onto that the SAVE America Act that we passed back in February, so that will send both of those items together over to the Senate,” Johnson said Monday.
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Luna was not swayed by Johnson’s plan, as the Senate could still strip the SAVE America Act from the legislation.
“The only way to ensure the Senate passes this is to make sure it’s in the bill text of the NDAA, meaning that my amendment(s) must be made an order,” Luna said. “I’m not trying to be difficult, but this is what 80% of Americans want and what we promised the American people, so I stand by my decision.”
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