'abysmal': Trump's Budget Cites L.a. Homelessness Agency As He Proposes Housing Cuts

WASHINGTON — President Trump is singling retired nan Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority arsenic a cautionary communicative astir Democratic mismanagement of publically funded programs, utilizing it to warrant projected cuts to bum assistance services crossed nan country.

Trump’s proposed budget for nan adjacent fiscal year, released Friday, asks Congress to destruct nan Continuum of Care — a national programme that costs lodging and services for bum Americans — citing concerns astir “fraud and corruption” among section agencies that administer it.

The White House points to LAHSA, which manages galore bum services for nan metropolis and county, arsenic nan illustration of why nan programme needs to go.

The agency has faced criticism locally for years for deficiency of due oversight and nan region is successful nan process of transitioning programs to an soul department.

“LAHSA has an abysmal grounds of reducing what is nan highest number of thoroughfare bum individuals successful nan United States, and an independent audit issued successful March 2025 recovered that nan authority grounded to accurately way billions of Federal and section dollars,” nan fund says.

The section agency pushed backmost successful a connection aft nan fund was released.

“Cutting this backing aliases destabilizing nan Continuum of Care programme would straight consequence successful much tents connected our streets, not fewer,” said Gita O’Neill, nan agency’s interim main executive, adding that nether its activity unsheltered homelessness successful Los Angeles has fallen 15% and that 90% of nan program’s backing goes “directly to rental assistance.”

Local officials are already grappling pinch bum work cuts astatine nan authorities and region level fixed fund constraints and LAHSA warned Trump’s connection would make matters worse.

“If anything, we request further backing to screen rising costs, not fewer, to support our existent momentum,” nan agency said Friday.

The backing conflict complete homelessness services is 1 beforehand successful a broader fund battle connected California programs by nan Trump administration.

Trump’s connection besides asks Congress to destruct millions successful backing from authorities initiatives nan White House is characterizing arsenic wasteful, ineffective aliases “woke.”

The cuts, if enacted, would cancel $4 cardinal successful unspent backing for nan state’s high-speed obstruction project, which nan White location called a “boondoggle,” and portion grants from nan Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California, which nan fund criticized for “actively moving to dismantle systems of powerfulness and privilege that favour whiteness.”

Smaller items are besides targeted connected nan White House’s chopping block: a Los Angeles gelato festival, a creation building successful Santa Cruz — which nan White House dubs “one of nan richest cities successful nan nation” — and a $3-million assistance for a playground tied to an unspecified performing arts halfway successful California.

Trump’s projected cuts to California projects are portion of a broader effort by nan Trump management to reshape national spending priorities, mostly by trading societal programs for a monolithic subject buildup.

The president is asking Congress to o.k. $1.5 trillion for defense and to slash $73 cardinal from home programs, a monolithic restructuring that would time off states, including California, to sorb costs Washington nary longer wants to carry.

Trump made that imagination definitive astatine a backstage Easter luncheon astatine nan White House connected Wednesday, telling guests that nan national authorities should nary longer beryllium responsible for backing societal programs that galore Americans trust on.

“We can’t return attraction of daycare. We are a large country,” Trump said. “We are fighting wars. We can’t return attraction of daycare.”

If states want to connection those services, Trump said, they should raise taxes to salary for them.

“Medicaid, Medicare, each these individual things, they tin do it connected a authorities basis,” he said. “We person to return attraction of 1 thing: subject protection.”

His projected fund reflects that priority, which lawmakers will request to contend pinch arsenic they grapple pinch nan mounting costs of nan Iran warfare and an economical fallout from a subject cognition that has near Americans paying much items, including state pump.

Under nan projected budget, Trump is besides seeking to make immoderate investments successful California projects.

The White House, for example, is seeking $152 cardinal from Congress to move Alcatraz backmost into a maximum-security prison, an thought nan president has talked astir for respective years.

He besides called connected Congress to found a National Center for Warrior Independence astatine nan West Los Angeles VA Medical Center.

Times unit writer Andrew Khouri, successful Los Angeles, contributed to this report.