N.H. delegation members highlight bipartisan housing legislation that President Trump abruptly refrained from signing
MANCHESTER, N.H. — Two members of New Hampshire’s congressional delegation met Monday with stakeholders from a cross-section of groups involved in addressing a pain point that’s been top of mind for Granite Staters lately: housing affordability.
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Senator Maggie Hassan and Representative Chris Pappas circled up with nonprofit leaders to tout bipartisan legislation, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — a widely supported proposal that President Trump tried to turn into a bargaining chip in his efforts to exert greater federal control over elections nationwide.
Trump was supposed to sign the legislation into law last week, but instead canceled the ceremony at the last minute. He said he wouldn’t approve the housing measure until Congress passes the SAVE America Act, a proposal that would require proof of citizenship when registering to vote, which critics contend would result in eligible Americans being turned away from the polls.
New Hampshire adopted its own proof-of-citizenship requirement in 2024, but a federal judge blocked it in May, finding the state law had unconstitutionally burdened voting rights. An appeal is pending.
Hassan, a Democrat, said in an interview that it’s clear Trump’s priorities are misaligned with those of the American people.
“He doesn’t want to make housing more affordable,” she said. “But he does want to make it harder for people to vote.”
This episode comes as the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released new data Monday showing Trump’s net approval rating in New England’s reddest state has slipped to its lowest point since October 2017. His approval rating was 38 percent among Granite Staters, while his disapproval rating was 62 percent, leaving him with a net approval rating of negative 24 points.
Hassan said the most “insidious” part of the Trump-backed elections bill is its requirement that states turn their voter rolls over to the federal government, ostensibly for the purpose of verifying the eligibility of individuals on the list. If the federal government were to manipulate that data, it would have a severe impact on voting, she said.
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As the Trump administration has sought more influence over voting procedures, the US Department of Justice has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., seeking access to complete voter registration lists. But the DOJ’s lawsuit against New Hampshire was on Monday by a Republican-appointed federal judge — an outcome that Secretary of State David Scanlan, a Republican, celebrated as affirming the appropriateness of his refusal to fulfill the Trump administration’s demands.
Hassan said she’s optimistic that Trump will go ahead and sign the housing bill into law in light of reports that House Speaker Mike Johnson would send the measure on Monday to the president’s desk.
Hassan said the housing legislation contains provisions that will help ensure veterans know they are eligible for special home loans, make it easier for federal agencies to develop housing in rural areas, and bar private equity firms from buying up single-family homes.
Trump called the housing bill “a yawn” on Monday, while acknowledging that the SAVE America Act likely lacks the votes needed to pass, as Politico and others reported.
Pappas said the housing legislation is a multi-faceted effort that will require time and energy to implement with some necessary “fine-tuning over time.”
Jennifer Vadney, a development director with NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire — which hosted Hassan and Pappas for Monday’s get-together with representatives from New Hampshire Housing, Housing Action NH, the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund, Evernorth, and the New Hampshire Home Builders Association — said she expects the legislation will create more flexibility for organizations like hers to take on affordable housing projects.
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