Housing bill to become law as federal data shows drop in homelessness

A long‑negotiated housing bill will become law without President Donald Trump’s signature, ending months of debate.

Congress sent the measure to the president’s desk on June 29, and he refused to sign it to leverage lawmakers to address restrictions on voter identification and mail-in ballots. Without a veto, the measure becomes law 10 days later, excluding Sundays, under the Constitution.

The legislative push comes as federal data shows homelessness has begun to fall nationwide.

According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’s annual Point-In-Time (PIT) report , 745,652 people were homeless in the U.S. in 2025, including 266,320 people living on the street on a single night in January 2025. While the total number of homeless people in the U.S. has increased by 27% since 2013, the number decreased by 3% from 2024 to 2025.

Under federal law, HUD also is mandated to release another annual report on homelessness. HUD has yet to release the Annual Homelessness Assessment report (AHAR), despite legal requirements and  congressional pressure. HUD did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Rep. French Hill, R-Arkansas, sponsored the bill, ( HR…