President Donald Trump will be signing an executive order making it easier for municipalities to remove the homeless from the street.
The executive order, which Trump will sign Thursday, will redirect federal funds to ensure the homeless people impacted are transferred to rehabilitation, treatment and other facilities, the White House said, according to USA Today.
The White House did not say how much money would be allocated.
Trump’s “Ending Vagrancy and Restoring Order” requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to work with the secretaries of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation to prioritize federal grants to states and cities that “enforce prohibitions on open illicit drug use, urban camping and loitering, and urban squatting, and track the location of sex offenders,” USA Today reported.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to USA Today that Trump’s executive order will “Make America Safe Again.”
“By removing vagrant criminals from our streets and redirecting resources toward substance abuse programs, the Trump Administration will ensure that Americans feel safe in their own communities and that individuals suffering from addiction or mental health struggles are able to get the help they need,” Leavitt said.
More than 771,800 people were without housing in 2024 in the U.S., according to a survey from HUD, the highest tally ever recorded and an 18.1% increase from 2023, USA Today reported.