Earlier this week, President Trump abruptly canceled a ceremony in which he was to sign a bipartisan bill that is seen as a major step toward making housing more affordable in the United States. As Trump attempts to hold the legislation hostage in order to push his controversial SAVE America Act to implement restrictive voting laws, one of the members of Congress responsible for the housing bill is vocally calling out the president and threatening to override him.
Waters calls out ‘racist’ Trump, threatens to override potential veto of housing bill
Rep. Maxine Waters (D-California) used a recent press conference to call out President Trump for suddenly canceling the ceremony in which he was to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a landmark piece of bipartisan housing legislation spearheaded by Waters and Republican Rep. French Hill of Arkansas, as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina).
“We worked in lockstep to keep the bill on course,” Waters said at the press conference held after Trump announced that he was refusing to sign the bill until Congress passes restrictive voting measures.
“There’s only one person standing in the way of affordable housing relief for the people of this country. That person is the President of the United States, and I have a message for him,” Waters said, with Warren and other colleagues behind her.
“Mr. President, sign the damn bill,” Waters demanded. “And if you don’t, get ready for a veto override.”
Waters elaborated on her stance in remarks toThe Grio,, saying that Trump “cannot be depended on. He changes his mind often, and he feels that he’s not responsible for his actions, that he can do whatever he wants to do.”
She also called out Trump for refusing to sign a bill that would particularly benefit Black Americans, who continue to deal with housing disparities and are disproportionately impacted by barriers to affordable homeownership.
Trump’s refusal to sign the bill is a “highlight of his racism,” Waters said.
“For Black people, he has defined himself. He has shown that he cares less about us and our history, and he has been racist, and he’s demonstrated that racism over and over again,” she said.
Pointing to other actions, such as Trump’s support for eliminating predominantly-Black congressional districts, Waters said that Trump is “very dangerous, and he does not mind. As a matter of fact, he intends to get rid of the Black representation in this country.”
Bipartisan legislation, among the most significant housing bills in decades, remains in limbo
The housing bill being blocked by Trump is seen as one of the most significant housing measures to come out of Congress in decades. It would implement more than 50 measures aimed at increasing the supply and affordability of housing and reducing homelessness in the United States.
The bill eases restrictions that limit the construction of new housing, including simplifying environmental reviews and expanding the definition of “manufactured housing” to allow for more prebuilt homes. The bill would also provide various loans and grants to increase the construction and availability of more homes, as well as provide various forms of assistance to prospective homebuyers.
The bill also notably limits the number of single-family homes that large investors can own, addressing a major complaint that investment firms were accumulating such properties in ways that made them more expensive or less accessible for individual homebuyers.
It is unclear how the standoff between Trump and Congress will be resolved. The president has said that he is refusing to sign the housing legislation until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, a controversial voter ID law that experts warn could prevent significant numbers of eligible Americans from being able to vote. The Senate recently rejected the voter ID bill, with Democrats and four Republicans voting it down.
Although Trump canceled the signing ceremony for the housing legislation, it is possible he will relent and sign it at a later date. If he instead vetoes the legislation, which he has not explicitly threatened to do, it would go back to Congress.
The overwhelming support for the bill, which passed 85-5 in the Senate and 358-32 in the House, would be more than enough to override a presidential veto, but members of the House and Senate would have to vote on it again to do so, and some Republicans could change their votes rather than directly defy Trump.
If Congress simply sends the currently passed legislation to Trump and the president refuses to either sign or veto the bill, the fate of the legislation becomes murkier. A bill that sits on the president’s desk for 10 days without being signed automatically becomes law if Congress is in session but is killed if Congress is adjourned at the 10-day mark in what is known as a pocket veto.
It is unclear which scenario would apply in this case, as Congress has a temporary adjournment scheduled to begin on July 3.
For now, the ultimate fate of the housing bill remains unclear, with Waters and other members of Congress engaged in a standoff with President Trump. For Waters, at least, the fight is one worth having in order to make housing more affordable for Americans across the country, and the congresswoman believes that she and her colleagues can triumph over Trump if he insists on shooting down the legislation.