The Housing Bill Trump Won't Sign

Plus: Mamdani's rent freeze, Darializa's "no jail for murderers" stance, inflation ticks up, and more...

A decent start: On Wednesday, President Donald Trump canceled his plans to sign a shockingly decent housing bill that had passed both House and Senate. It's not clear whether this is a stunt designed to get voter ID laws passed or whether he intends to sign the bill eventually.

"Under the Constitution, a president has 10 days, excluding Sundays, to sign or return a bill once it has been presented to him. If he has not done either by the end of that period, it becomes law without his signature," reports The New York Times. "But there's a catch. If Congress is adjourned when that 10-day period ends, the unsigned bill is killed in what is known as a 'pocket veto.' There are legal questions about whether this would happen during a congressional recess—when the chambers are out of session temporarily, as the House and the Senate are scheduled to be for 10 days beginning on July 3—or only when Congress is adjourned at the end of a session, which will not happen until the end of the year."

As for the actual substance of the bill, the YIMBYs are celebrating. Case in point:

CONGRESS PASSES THE 21ST CENTURY ROAD TO HOUSING ACT!!!!!

HOUSE: 358-to-32
SENATE: 85-to-5

- Bipartisan reform to fix housing shortage & lower costs (no big new spending)
- Streamlines permitting, zoning & NEPA reviews to speed up building
- $200M+ Innovation Fund + grants for…

— YIMBYLAND (@YIMBYLAND) June 24, 2026

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a decent start, streamlining National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, permitting, and zoning will surely speed up the building of new housing. But I fear so much implementation happens at the local level, so localities still have the opportunity to thwart these efforts (like how California thwarts new building projects with the California Environmental Quality Act, which is at long last being rolled back a bit). And some components of the bill are not great for fans of free markets, like the ban on large investors buying more homes.

Of course, it's a joint production by Sens. Tim Scott (R–S.C.) and Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.), so the bill explicitly includes Warren's investor-purchase ban (which Scott agreed to). It's a genuine political compromise, with Warren getting her corporate landlord crackdown in exchange for Scott getting his supply-side reforms. We can never just have a fully good housing bill, can we?

---

Scenes from New York: Lots of drama from the NYC Rent Guidelines Board, which just approved a two-year freeze for roughly 1 million rent-stabilized apartments. This is "the first two-year rent freeze in the board's history and fulfills a key campaign pledge from Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who named six of the board's nine members," reports Gothamist. "The decision applies to rent-stabilized apartments in buildings with six or more units built before 1974, as well as apartments in buildings that receive certain tax breaks or government subsidies. The freeze applies to new one- and two-year leases beginning between Oct. 1, 2026, and Sept. 30, 2027." This is obviously a bad decision. I actively hope Mamdani won't fulfill any of his campaign pledges, but he is unfortunately turning out to be rather true to his word so far.

Rent Guidelines Board member Christina Smyth just resigned from the board — hours before they were slated to vote on whether to enact Mayor Mamdani's rent freeze promise.

This rebuilt board was required to deliver a rent freeze. Everything since has been theater," she wrote. pic.twitter.com/kBM7knYGv4

— Josie Stratman (@JosieStratman) June 25, 2026

---

QUICK HITS

• "In the 1990s, the Friends decade, just 3% of American men and 2% of women said they had no close friends at all," reports Bloomberg. "In 2021, that number had risen to 15% of men and 10% of women, per the Survey Center on American Life. Feelings of isolation have quintupled in 30 years." Now "a new niche of companies, community builders and coaches are stepping into the void. Call it the connection economy." (I am bearish on whether any sort of startup can solve this problem.)
• More on Darializa Avila Chevalier's insane beliefs (no jail or deportations for murderers!), from my friend Mary Katharine Ham:

On one hand, Mamdani is charismatic and that's a short cut to putting people in power. On the other hand, these people are weirdos with weirdo beliefs. @GetHammeredPod pic.twitter.com/RhnGTRbtLU

— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) June 24, 2026

• "An Iranian court has sentenced an outspoken female singer to 74 lashes for performing at a concert without wearing a hijab, according to a person close to her family and state media news reports," reports The New York Times. "The punishment indicated a possible tightening of religious rules for women under an Iranian political order reshaped by war."
• Inflation ticks higher and higher while consumer spending accelerates:

JUST IN: PCE Inflation jumped to 4.1% (y/y) in May -- That's the highest inflation in 3 years and it's due largely to the war in Iran impact.

Core PCE inflation (excluding food and energy) rose to 3.4% --> the highest since fall 2023.

This is painful for the middle class and… pic.twitter.com/KxrHvA5pEF

— Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) June 25, 2026

• Not wrong!

By years end there is a non-zero chance Greta ends up taking a side in a Somali clan feud https://t.co/VpgBorzvjS

— River Page (@river_is_nice) June 25, 2026

Comments

[Mickey Rat]

"The punishment indicated a possible tightening of religious rules for women under an Iranian political order reshaped by war."

Yes, because the Iranian regime is naturally for women's liberties. It is only the war that made them want to enforce female modesty.

[Ra's al Gore]

https://firenexttime.net/the-1980s-purge-of-irans-leftists/

In the 1980s, following the Iranian Revolution, a wave of repression and violence was directed against leftist political opponents by the newly established Islamic Republic. This included the execution of many left-wing political prisoners, who were seen as threats to the new regime. The exact number of political prisoners executed during this time is unknown, but it is estimated that thousands were killed. The executions were carried out in a number of prisons across the country and were often accompanied by widespread torture and other forms of abuse. Many of the left-wing political prisoners had been involved in the struggle against the previous regime, the Pahlavi dynasty, and were seen as potential threats to the stability of the new Islamic Republic. They were also targeted for their political beliefs, which were seen as incompatible with the Islamic ideology of the new regime.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Only thousands? This regime is in the tens of thousands.

[Spiritus Mundi]

Everything bad is Trump's fault. Reeeeason rule no. 1.

[Ra's al Gore]

https://x.com/TRobinsonNewEra/status/2070494704110596537
Newly released police bodycam footage from just after the murder of Henry Nowak.

Digwa: “But I’ve been racially attacked.”

The officer: “I know, mate, I know,” and adds: “I’m not saying you’ve done anything, mate.”

Digwa moans about being tired and police lights hurting his eyes.

He was never handcuffed, Nowak was as he died.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

They started CPR on top of an open wound. That along with hands handcuffed behind his back likely broke up possible clotting and led to his death.

[Ra's al Gore]

it took them something like 8 min to acknowledge he was stabbed

[Mike Parsons]

Somehow, and I didnt think this was possible, its even worse.

They treat the murderer like he was some sweet little old lady they found on the street. The cop is near apologizing to him while arresting him for stabbing the guy on the ground who dead, that they just mocked and derided while he was bleeding out in front of their eyes.

Lamp posts, all of the officers there. Its the only justice that is merited at this point.

[Ra's al Gore]

https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-410618634223
CLAIM: Dr. Anthony Fauci funded experiments on orphans with AIDS and 25 of them died.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: Missing context. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which Fauci runs, did fund clinical trials evaluating HIV and AIDS treatments that enrolled HIV-positive children both in and out of foster care. But the report that found that 25 children in foster care died during trials did not find that the trials were the cause of their deaths.

[Chuck P. (Now with less Sarc more snark)]

That may be the most asinine fact check I have ever seen. Completely ignore that they ran trials using orphaned kids in foster homes because they were going to die anyway.

[Ajsloss]

Paging Dr. Mengele.

[Zeb]

Using orphans for the dirty work? Sounds like a proper libertarian.

[Ra's al Gore]

https://x.com/Newsforce/status/2070497334614532244

Rep. Ilhan Omar calls the President of Somalia "our president".

The Somalia-born Democrat is facing backlash after she posted on X that she "assimilated all the way to Congress," despite calling her country of origin "home."

"Somalia is our home. It is our heart. We always think about Somalia."

[Bubba Jones]

Am I supposed to be mad that Greta opposes extra judicial killings in Pakistan?

Not quite the same as Somali clan wars.

[Mickey Rat]

She needs to clean her room.

[Mike Parsons]

more concerning is that the gay race communists in the West are every day increasingly concerned with and interested in the 3rd world than their own countries. Often, specifically for the detriment of their own country and countrymen

[Rick James]

Even more concerning is that the gay race communists support the Islamification of the global order... if for no other reason for the lols and sticking it to the National Conservatism Movement.

[Mike Parsons]

Yup. Simping for Islamic countries to own the conservative Christians, who apparently have the govt publicly beat a woman for having too much ankle showing.

[Zeb]

That one is really just weird (from a non-woke perspective, anyway). To a detached observer it would seem like Islam is just worse in every way than the things they like to complain about regarding conservative Christians. I'm really not sure what they think their endgame is once Europe is majority Muslim. Is there a plan, or are they really just that shortsighted and care about nothing but wrecking western civilization?

[Mike Parsons]

"or are they really just that shortsighted and care about nothing but wrecking western civilization?"

Its absolutely this. Add in the delusional echo chamber they are in as well. They have gassed up "christian nationalism" to be some version of the handmaids tale and women as domestic slaves. They talk about all this openly. Because we cant have drive through 9 month abortions, we literally are in the hand maids tale and the govt owns womens bodies. They actually believe the propaganda.

They haven't thought about what it would really be like for the govt to control women's bodies....like they currently do in every fundamentalist muslim country, today, right now. They dont think that far, its just about tomorrow's political power grab and owning the christians.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Better headline. "The SAVE act, that over two thirds of Americans support, congress wont vote on"

[Spiritus Mundi]

Reeeeeason has to poopoo it or admit there are millions of fraudlent voter registrations. They are not quite as dumb as Chuck Shumer who has done both.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

You all remember operation Fast and Furious, obamas gun running to Mexico scandal. We'll apparently Biden had a reverse program where feds watched fentanyl flow into new Mexico without being stopped.

https://apnews.com/article/dea-fentanyl-unseized-drugs-new-mexico-8f5b546e668e5007c64078da74b90903

[Rick James]

I'm not sure I believe this. Biden wasn't watching anything at the border.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

https://thepostmillennial.com/snap-research-director-obama-foundation-leader-says-some-americans-need-coca-cola-to-survive

"Taxpayers' money should be utilized to ensure that individuals have access to the food that they need to survive, or may be accessible to them," Plata-Nino responded.

Gill followed up, "Do they need sugary sodas to survive?"

Plata-Nino then claimed, "Some of them do who do have low blood issues ... or kidney issues."

"Is that right? You think they need Coca-Cola to survive? Do you think that's the most appropriate use of our tax dollars?" After being questioned by Gill, Plata-Nino said that she is "not a physician but medical records and expertise do show that in some circumstances–"

[Eeyore]

At this point SNAP should also cover cigarettes and alcohol.

[Rick James]

It does. Fraud is a thing.

[Mike Parsons]

ya, it absolutely does. Either someone looks the other way, or they just trade someone who was going in to get groceries for money and then buy it straight up. I would imagine 20-30% minimum ends up going to cigs and booze

[Mike Parsons]

"Taxpayers' money should be utilized to ensure that individuals have access to the food that they need to survive"

While his point was fine, the appropriate reframing would be to dismiss the premise whole sale. Food is not, nor has it even been, a human right, an entitlement, or something promised by the constitution or bill of rights. Tax payers are not responsible for feeding you.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

From illegals pay so much in taxes but get nothing in return framing comes...

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/honduras-immigrant-caused-more-38m-tax-losses-payroll-fraud-scheme

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

This story has every type of election fraud one can imagine.

https://nypost.com/2026/06/25/us-news/long-island-school-clerk-caught-tearing-up-ballots-trashing-votes-to-help-her-candidate-win-probe/

Pratt racked up 87% of absentee votes and 55% of early mail votes, compared to just 27% of in-person machine votes – while other trustee candidates received fewer than 100 absentee and early mail ballots combined, the probe found.

Where did we see this again...

Rush was shocked to find stolen 2026 election ballots inside — and placed the clerk’s office on lockdown while ordering the door’s locks changed that week, the documents said.

But when investigators returned four days later, the garbage can was gone, allegedly dumped by custodian Owen Peters, who hauled the bag to an outside dumpster that morning while the locksmith was changing the doors, the petition claimed.

Peters later led investigators to the bag, which was sitting in roughly a foot of standing water, according to the documents.
...
They found ripped-up cast ballots for both Pratt and his top challenger, Gwendolyn Jackson, shredded early mail ballot applications with voters’ names, addresses and signatures still visible, and a jumble of unused ballots and tally sheets, the petition said.

Jackson’s campaign coordinator, identified in the filing as Allah Supreme Mathematics, detailed that he returned roughly 120 filled early mail ballots to Keys’ office on election night — but only 79 were counted, with no explanation ever given for the missing 33, the probe found.
...
The night before the election, Pratt was caught on surveillance footage arriving at the clerk’s office that evening carrying a manila folder, according to the petition.

He allegedly stayed for roughly 90 minutes and was captured walking out of her office with a stack of up to 125 absentee ballots.

[Juliana Frink]

"This story has every type of election fraud one can imagine."

So *ahem* does this one:

https://x.com/TheSCIF/status/2069877423152181369

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Bob Iger himself, in variety magazine, exposes the entire reason narrative around Kimmel.

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/bob-iger-defends-jimmy-kimmel-suspension-charlie-kirk-1236789473/

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Wnd OPEC exit.

https://www.zerohedge.com/energy/another-opec-exit-iraq-warns-it-could-abandon-oil-cartel-if-quota-hike-rejected

[Chuck P. (Now with less Sarc more snark)]

One thing that Greta and her ridiculous friends never provide is any evidence to support their positions. They just spew words dramatically and expect people to accept what they say as truth.

She would get stomped in an actual debate with an 8th grader.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Sounds like many of the leftist posters here.

[Mike Parsons]

That was Whoopie on the view accusing JD Vance and the admin of "removing black heroes" and "erasing black history".

These people wind themselves up so hard in their echo chamber with these kinds of stories that they start to take so much of it for granted they forget which parts were made up out of whole cloth.

Ive got a retarded woke aunt who last year was sperg posting that "Trump is erasing black history, Trump hates black people, Trump put and end to black history month and Juneteenth!" and one of her based nephews posted a picture of Trump celebrating black history month with an Oval full of black people, and a Juneteenth cook out and asked "what are you on about now?"

JD really should have pushed whoopie harder. Give me 3 examples is always a great follow up. When someone says "I mean, there are so many I could go on and on" (Sunny and WHoopie said this). Stop them there. No, go on. Name them. Tell me 3 examples, being that you are saying you apparently have dozens. Give me 3.

[Zeb]

That would have been a good move. I've hardly ever seen the View, but I saw some clips of that. It really was more idiotic than I could have imagined. Really, Whoopie, if there are so many, name even one. Seemed pretty clear that she just knew vaguely about some signs being changed in some museums, but had no idea in what way. Vance deserves a medal for not calling them fucking retards.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

The jokes are true.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/afghan-asylum-seeker-sentenced-raping-goats-and-6-month-old-lamb

He even told a court psychologist that anyone who did rape the animals only did it to “not rape a woman” since “a goat could not identify him afterward.”

[Ajsloss]

Thinking about starting a GiveSendGo for Greta to get a haircut.

[JesseAz (RIP CK)]

Make flowbie great again.

[Ra's al Gore]

Time to go full Sherman

https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/2070352027717087257

BREAKING: Mamdani vows to protect illegal alien Haitians and Syrians following SCOTUS ruling

“To have people have their freedom put into Jeopardy by the actions of a Supreme Court and a federal administration… it’s something that we will not ever accept.”

[Ra's al Gore]

Anyone know what the T in TPS stands for?

[MWAocdoc]

"We can never just have a fully good housing bill, can we?"

I think I see the problem here! There should not have ever been a Federal law concerning "housing" in the first place. Since there ARE Federal laws regulating and squashing housing, any bill passed by Congress to undo some of the damage caused by Federal housing laws and regulations is going to be - well - less than fully good, isn't it? Eliminate the Department of Housing and all laws and regulations and offices concerned with housing. Then we won't have to worry about getting a decent housing law ever again.

[MWAocdoc]

"I actively hope Mamdani won't fulfill any of his campaign pledges"

It's very entertaining to watch New York City implode socioeconomically sooner rather than later, but the city has been doomed to at least a slow gradual death for a very long time now. The advantage of early self-immolation is that there is still a good deal of hardware left to cannibalize on the way out now. If the decay takes its natural course without accelerator assistance from the socialists, there might be nothing left to salvage at the end. Will the last non-socialist to leave New York City please turn off the lights?

[Mike Parsons]

Looks like they are signing up for the Seattle track. Electing full on and out commies now. It never ends well. NYC, like parts of CA, will always have big money in Manhattan and Brooklyn to an extent. But overall its going to turn into a shit hole.

[creech]

Can't you imagine those investor owned home corporations just deciding to own one less home than the threshold? Just about every developer I know of already separately incorporates each of his/her housing developments in order to limit liability, etc. If this bill becomes law, investors will just own multiple separate corporations to get around the limit. And that will drive up costs and home rental prices slightly due to the extra bookkeeping and legal work involved.

[Rick James]

This is obviously a bad decision. I actively hope Mamdani won't fulfill any of his campaign pledges, but he is unfortunately turning out to be rather true to his word so far.

I actively hope he fulfills them all. Seriously. This is an experiment we have to let play out. I now believe that we need a backlash to set this movement back for another 20 years and the only way to do it is let it not only fail but catastrophically fail.

[NoVaNick]

You mean the 1990s before social media, and for half that decade, before the internet, we had more close friends, back when you actually had to go out and talk to people?