Sherman's Disabled Veterans Housing Bill Becomes Law Despite Trump's Refusal to Sign Housing Package

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan housing package that includes Rep. Brad Sherman's (D-Sherman Oaks) legislation to expand housing assistance for homeless disabled veterans officially became law this week after President Donald Trump declined to sign the bill, allowing it to take effect under the Constitution.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, one of the most significant federal housing measures enacted in years, became law after passing both chambers of Congress with broad bipartisan support. The legislation includes Sherman's Housing Unhoused Disabled Veterans Act (HUDVA), which removes a longstanding barrier that has prevented some disabled veterans experiencing homelessness from qualifying for federal housing assistance.

Sherman's provision authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development to use Housing Choice Vouchers to provide housing assistance for disabled veterans experiencing homelessness, helping ensure disability compensation does not prevent otherwise eligible veterans from accessing housing support. The measure builds on the existing HUD-VASH program, a joint initiative between HUD and the Department of Veterans Affairs that combines rental assistance with supportive services for homeless veterans.

Trump had previously refused to sign the broader housing bill, arguing Congress should instead pass unrelated election legislation. Sherman sharply criticized the decision, contending that the president was using affordable housing reforms—including assistance for homeless veterans—as leverage in a broader political dispute. Because Trump neither signed nor vetoed the measure within the constitutional deadline while Congress remained in session, the legislation automatically became law.

Beyond Sherman's veterans provision, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act expands the nation's housing supply, streamlines development regulations, modernizes federal housing programs and includes a range of reforms aimed at improving housing affordability. Supporters have described it as the most consequential federal housing legislation enacted in decades.

The measure marks the culmination of a bipartisan effort led by Sherman and Rep. Monica De La Cruz (R-Texas), who first introduced the HUDVA legislation to address what they described as an unintended bureaucratic barrier preventing disabled veterans from accessing housing assistance. The proposal cleared the House earlier this year before being incorporated into the broader housing package.