(The Center Square) – A bipartisan piece of legislation that aims to address housing needs cruised through both chambers last week with the support of nearly the entire Pennsylvania delegation. On Monday, U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick said they hoped the bill will become law as President Donald Trump has yet to offer his signature for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
“I am supremely confident that he will sign this thing, without a doubt,” Fetterman told reporters during a joint appearance with McCormick in Philadelphia on Monday morning.
Fetterman, a Democrat who has championed this cause of affordable housing for several years, said he has not had any recent conversations with the White House on the bill, but referenced the bipartisan fashion in which it passed as proof Trump would sign it into law.
On June 22, the U.S. Senate voted 85-5 to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act with the support of Fetterman and McCormick. The following day, the U.S. House voted 358-32 in support of the bill. U.S. Rep. Scott Perry, R-10th District, was the only member of the state’s congressional delegation to vote against the bill.
However, despite signaling support, Trump announced on Wednesday that he was canceling the bill signing ceremony “until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson told Fox News on Sunday that he would send the bill to Trump on Monday and that it “will become law.”
McCormick referenced Johnson’s optimism in his answer, adding that he also hopes Trump signs the bill.
“We’ve got to bring down housing prices in Pennsylvania, and he and I are both committed to that,” McCormick said. “And this isn't the whole thing, but this goes a long way to eliminating red tape and making it easier to invest.”
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Monday afternoon, Trump said he wasn’t sure if he was going to sign the housing legislation into law.
“I think it's so unimportant compared to the Save America Act,” Trump said.
He noted that the bill is “very bipartisan,” and added that there are things in it that he “wouldn’t necessarily agree to,” though he hasn’t come to a final decision yet.
“Here's what I would like to sign: much more than a bill, ‘big deal. It's a yawn,” he said of the housing bill. “Because it's wonderful to me, compared to the Save America Act, just about everything is a big yawn.”
According to Politico, even if Trump didn’t sign the housing bill into law within the next few days, it would still become law unless he were to veto it. However, Congress also has the power to override a presidential veto.
NPR describes the proposal as the “largest piece of housing legislation in decades.”
Fetterman credited state Sen. Nikil Saval, who authored the Whole-Home Repairs Program for Pennsylvania, which this national legislation is modeled after.
“When we passed the Whole-Home Repairs Program, we hoped it would offer a blueprint for other states grappling with how to preserve their aging housing stock and protect the health of their residents,” Saval wrote in a statement on Wednesday. “Today’s passage of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act shows the realization of this hope.”
McCormick noted that he and Fetterman not only voted for the legislation but also offered several amendments together.
“Senator Fetterman's been a real leader, particularly on refurbishing existing home stock,” McCormick said on Monday.
As Congress waits to see if Trump will offer his signature to the bill, McCormick told reporters on Monday that he’s talked with the president at length about this proposal. However, McCormick noted that both are also focused on the SAVE America Act.
“So, I think that was just his frustration, and you know, I share that frustration, and at the same time, I want to fix housing, so that's why it's not inconsistent with me to say I want to fight for Save America,” McCormick said. “I want to get this done, and we’ve got to pass the housing bill.”
“Those two things shouldn't stand in the way of one another,” he added.
Prior to Trump backing off his plans to sign the legislation, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle in Pennsylvania chimed in last week after the bill passed.
“America faces a housing shortage of well over 4 million homes, while only about 1.5 million housing units are built each year,” said U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-9th District on Tuesday. “Homebuilders tell us their costs can reach nearly $100,000 before a shovel even hits the dirt because of overregulation, permitting burdens, environmental reviews, zoning delays, and other bureaucratic red tape.”
Meuser, an ally of Trump's, added that “this overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation represents months of work by the House Financial Services Committee and both chambers of Congress to increase housing supply and make the dream of homeownership attainable for American families.”
U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-1st District, described housing affordability as “one of the defining economic challenges of our time because it shapes something deeply American: whether families who work hard, save responsibly, and play by the rules can still build a stable life in the communities they call home.”
“It expands supply, cuts red tape, modernizes outdated federal programs, supports veterans, and gives communities the tools to turn vacant and underused properties into affordable homes,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is a major bipartisan victory for our affordability agenda, a win for serious problem-solving, and a meaningful step toward keeping the promise of home within reach for working families.”
Following Trump’s decision to cancel the bill signing on Wednesday, multiple Democrats called on him to bring the legislation across the finish line.
“Now, after months of bipartisan and bicameral negotiations, and this bill passing both chambers of Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support, President Trump is holding urgently-needed housing relief hostage to pressure Congress into passing the SAVE Act, a restrictive voting bill that would make it harder for eligible Americans to exercise their right to vote,” U.S. Rep. Summer Lee, D-12th District said. “Families struggling with rising rents, housing costs, and unsafe conditions should never be treated like bargaining chips.”
“If President Trump is serious about taking on Wall Street landlords and making housing more affordable, he should stop playing games with people’s lives and sign this bill,” she added.
On Sunday, U.S. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., told NewsNation on Sunday that he “wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t sign it.”
U.S. Rep. Randy Fine, R-Fl., was one of the members who voted against the bill.
“Look, my issue was if Elizabeth Warren thinks a bill is great, then it probably isn't,” Fine said on Newsmax TV. “And that sort of how I look at the enthusiasm with which Democrats had for this bill got me spooked, and I didn't come to Washington to work with Democrats, I came to Washington to beat them.”
“As for the president, he'll do what he thinks is best, and I trust his judgment,” he added. “I certainly hope if he chooses to veto the bill, Republicans will not choose to override him, and certainly I won't be one of those doing that.”
