Thomas Tiffany

U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany missed three votes on a federal housing bill despite campaign ads pledging to stop investors from buying Wisconsin homes.

Tiffany stated he supports the legislation but missed the votes due to prior commitments in Wisconsin.

The bipartisan housing bill, which passed Congress with overwhelming support, aims to address the affordable housing crisis and limit large investors.

President Donald Trump has indicated he will not sign the bill unless Congress also passes unrelated voting legislation he supports.

MADISON – U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany has pledged in several ads for his gubernatorial campaign to "stop Wall Street" from buying up Wisconsin homes – but missed multiple votes on federal legislation aimed at doing that.

Tiffany said he supports the federal effort, but missed the votes due to previously scheduled commitments in the state he's seeking to lead.

"I support the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act," Tiffany said in a statement.

"As governor, I’ll launch a Red Tape Reset to cut burdensome regulations that drive up housing costs, speed up permitting, and make it easier to build homes. I’ll also stop Wall Street investors from buying up single-family homes so Wisconsin families have a fair shot at homeownership," he said.

The bipartisan affordable housing legislation is set to become law Friday unless President Donald Trump chooses to veto it.

The housing bill is the first major piece of legislation that passed Congress in more than three decades to address the nation's affordable housing crisis.

In response to voters' increasing concerns about the rising cost of living, the bill cleared both chambers in June by overwhelming margins with strong bipartisan support, a 358-32 tally in the House and an 85-5 margin in the Senate.

The wide-ranging bill includes provisions aimed at spurring more manufactured housing, loosening regulations over small-dollar mortgages and increasing the cap that restricts how much banks can invest for projects that address low- and middle-income housing.

The legislation overhauls several federal housing programs and streamlines environmental review processes for housing. It also seeks to limit large investors – those with at least 350 properties – from buying homes.

Versions of the bill have come before the U.S. House three times – Feb. 9, May 20 and June 23 – each of which Tiffany missed, according to roll call records. The bill contained the provision aimed at Wall Street investors for the second and third votes.

"Tom Tiffany had three chances to do what’s right for Wisconsin families struggling with the high cost of housing, and he couldn’t even be bothered to show up for the vote," Democratic Party of Wisconsin spokeswoman Emily Stuckey said in a statement.

"Tiffany is doing exactly what D.C. MAGA politicians do – jumping at every opportunity to push policies that make life harder and more expensive, and going missing when the time comes to actually vote to bring down costs."

A Tiffany campaign spokesperson said the congressman was unable to return to Washington, D.C. in time for the votes held on "fly-in days" when members of Congress are arriving in the nation's capital from their districts, "though he was present for the rest of the week."

The spokesperson said Tiffany "continues to live in Wisconsin's Northwoods" rather than base himself in D.C. "because he believes representatives should remain rooted in the communities they serve."

After this story was published online, Tiffany's campaign also noted he is one of seven cosponsors of a bill introduced in January by Republican U.S. Rep. Mary Miller of Illinois that would also bar large investment firms from purchasing single-family homes.

Last month, Trump dismissed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act as "a big yawn" and "so unimportant" compared to an unrelated bill he supports to overhaul voting procedures.

The president abruptly canceled a signing ceremony last month for the housing bill and has said he won't sign it until Congress passes the SAVE America Act ‒ a stalled bill he backs that would require photo identification and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections and prohibit universal mail-in voting across the country.

House Speaker Mike Johnson officially transmitted the bill to Trump's desk on June 29, initiating a 10-day window for the president to either sign the legislation, veto it or allow it to become law automatically by doing neither. That window ends July 10.

Tiffany has been running ads for his gubernatorial campaign since April, launching the most recent one on Thursday. He'll face the winner of the Aug. 11 Democratic primary in which five candidates are currently competing.

USA Today contributed.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].

(This story was updated to add new information.)