President Trump said Friday that he will not sign a housing bill that Congress passed with strong support from both parties. Instead of signing it, he is using it as leverage to try to force the Senate to pass a separate voting-restrictions bill that has stalled.

Here's how it works: Under the Constitution, a bill becomes law automatically if the president does neither sign nor reject it within 10 days while Congress is meeting. House Speaker Mike Johnson gave the bill to the White House on June 29. That clock started then. Trump has now made clear he won't act, so the housing bill will become law at 11:59 p.m. ET on the 10th day—with or without his signature.

The housing bill includes more than 40 provisions that both Republicans and Democrats agreed to. One major provision would prevent large corporate landlords that already own at least 350 single-family homes from buying more. The bill's core strategy to tackle housing affordability is to make it easier to build more homes nationwide, rather than controlling prices or handing out subsidies.

Trump's real objection is about different legislation entirely. He wants the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require people to show citizenship documents to register to vote and photo ID to vote. That bill is stuck in the Senate. It does not have the 60 votes needed to pass because some Democrats oppose it. Trump is saying: pass that bill, or I won't sign the housing bill.

Before Friday, Trump had already made clear he did not care much about the housing measure. On June 24, he called it "a big yawn." He said it was "of minor importance" in other posts. The White House had planned a signing ceremony for June but Trump canceled it.

This has created an odd problem with Trump's own staff. His press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on social media that the housing bill was "one of the most significant pieces of housing legislation in American history." That directly contradicts what Trump has said publicly. The White House has not explained why Trump and his press secretary are saying opposite things.

Both parties face an unusual predicament as the midterm elections approach. Members of Congress from both sides wanted to brag about this bill on the campaign trail. A presidential signature would have been the moment to do it—a big ceremony at the White House, photos, credit to take home. Now the bill will just become law quietly, by default. Neither party gets that moment. Neither party gets to point to Trump endorsing it or to have him veto it and fight with Congress on camera.

Still, the bill does become law. The corporate-landlord cap works. The homebuilding rules take effect. For the lawmakers who voted for it, that is what matters. But Trump loses the chance to claim he made this happen, and Congress loses the traditional pageantry of a bill signing.