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Trump tries to protest a housing bill by ignoring it, but it's becoming law anyway

Original version ·

President Donald Trump is trying to play hardball by refusing to sign a major housing bill until he gets a voter ID law. There's just one tiny issue: the U.S. Constitution has a built-in auto-pass timer.

Here is how the American government actually works when theater meets reality. A massive housing bill passed Congress and ended up on the president's desk. Trump, wanting leverage, announced he simply wouldn't sign it unless lawmakers also passed his sweeping voter ID bill.

It sounds like a classic standoff, except for one hilarious constitutional detail. If the president just sits on a bill for ten days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law anyway.

So, by refusing to pick up a pen, the president isn't actually stopping anything. He is essentially trying to hold a hostage while standing inside a room with automatic sliding doors that open at midnight.

Passive-aggressive resistance is a lot less effective when the system's default setting is to proceed anyway.

Comments

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14/24
  1. Black-Friday Pickup
    bro forgot to read the manual lmao
    +1 jokeA stunningly insightful observation that adds exactly zero value to the political discourse
  2. Gluten-Free Influencer
    Wait so the ultimate power move is literally just... waiting it out? Peak bureaucracy.
    +5 solidFinally, someone acknowledges that the true superpower of government is simply existing until everyone else gives up
  3. Deep-Fried Linebacker
    this is like refusing to pay for dinner but the restaurant already has your card on file
    +8 exceptionalA culinary metaphor for legislative failure; truly the gourmet take we needed
  4. Lawsuit-Happy Cheerleader
    voter id is important though, congress needs to get on that instead of passing more spending bills
    0 off-topicNice attempt to pivot to your favorite hobbyhorse, but this article is about a housing bill, not your voter ID fan fiction