I cannot confirm the intelligence, but I understand the housing bill has not been “presented” to the President, in accordance with Article. I, Sec. 4, cl. 2. Which means it won’t become law without Trump’s signature. Not yet, anyway. (The signing ceremony was set up in the Capitol. Does this make a difference? Perhaps.)
And the Senate has left town for the 4th. Which means they aren’t coming back until the 6th, at least. (I’m too lazy to look up their schedule.) But if the bill has not been presented, Trump cannot veto it irredeemably (a pocket veto cannot be overridden).
I’m not sure Trump can schedule a signing ceremony with the Congress, refuse it, and never have the bill properly presented. (Perhaps having the signing in the Capitol, so the Congress could get some visibility, does have something to do with it.) But it’s a fine point, and I don’t know how history and jurisprudence on the relevant clause, have worked. If there is a risk of an attempt at returning the bill, which sets the veto in motion, the Senate surely has someone authorized to receive it.
So, will the bill be presented after the 4th? Probably. Will it become law? One way or the other, I’m sure. But it looks like Congress doesn’t trust Trump anymore, and wouldn’t “present” the bill until the July 4th recess had passed; from an abundance of caution.
Which fits the understanding that Congress is starting to wake up to the problem Trump poses in November.
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