(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump refused to commit to signing a major bipartisan housing bill, heightening uncertainty surrounding the fate of the legislation.
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Trump told reporters Monday he had yet to decide on the measure, but again denigrated it, saying it was "so unimportant" compared to a voting bill he is pressuring the US Senate to pass. The president last week scrapped a planned signing of the housing bill, which passed the House and Senate by wide margins.
"To me, compared to the Save America Act, just about everything is a big yawn," the president said, referring to his voting legislation.
He said he would make a decision on whether to sign the housing bill once he receives it. The legislation has been formally transmitted to the White House, according to a House Republican aide.
The transmission of the bill starts a 10-day period, excluding Sundays, in which the president can either sign or veto it. If Trump takes no action, it will become law.
By withholding his signature on the housing bill, Trump is heightening pressure on Senate Republicans to change the chamber's rules to pass the voter ID measure. GOP leaders have said they lack the votes to approve the voting bill and also enact any rule changes.
Scrapping the signing of the housing legislation spoiled a chance for lawmakers in both parties — and the president himself — to tout progress toward addressing voters' affordability concerns ahead of November's midterm elections.
The bill would curb large institutional investors' ownership of single-family homes, streamline rules around factory-built housing and encourage localities to remove barriers to construction in an attempt to bring more supply to the troubled housing market.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said the uncertainty over the bipartisan bill is due only to a "Donald Trump temper tantrum."
Republican leaders have highlighted the bill as a key part of an affordability agenda aimed at addressing voter concerns about rising costs.
Despite receiving poor marks on his handling of the economy and consumer prices, Trump said the bill was more advantageous to Democrats.
"The Democrats need it because their policy is so bad, they want open borders, they want high taxes, they want terrible medical, anything medical," he said.