RFK Jr. Blasts Los Angeles Homeless Agency as Trump Administration Threatens to Pull $240 Million

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is taking aim at Los Angeles’ troubled homelessness system, warning that the Trump administration could cut off roughly $240 million in federal funding unless local programs show they are actually helping people get off the streets.

Kennedy sharply criticized the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, arguing that taxpayers have poured enormous amounts of money into homelessness programs without seeing acceptable results. The agency has faced mounting scrutiny over its spending, management and ability to account for public funds.

The warning represents another major shift in federal homelessness policy under President Trump. Rather than continuing to send federal money to local governments based largely on the size of their homeless populations, the administration wants funding increasingly tied to measurable results.

Kennedy has argued that simply providing temporary shelter or allowing people to remain indefinitely in encampments does not solve the underlying problem. His approach emphasizes treatment for mental illness and drug addiction, along with programs designed to move homeless Americans toward stability and independence.

Los Angeles has become one of the most visible examples of America’s homelessness crisis despite years of enormous government spending. Billions of taxpayer dollars have been devoted to housing, outreach and other programs while sprawling encampments and chronic homelessness have remained persistent problems across the region.

The Trump administration is now threatening to use federal funding as leverage. Programs that cannot demonstrate meaningful progress toward getting people off the streets could lose federal support, potentially putting hundreds of millions of dollars currently flowing into Los Angeles at risk.

Kennedy’s criticism also comes amid broader questions about accountability inside LA’s homelessness bureaucracy. Audits and investigations have repeatedly raised concerns about whether officials can adequately track spending and determine which programs are actually producing results.

The administration’s approach represents a direct challenge to the policies pursued by Democratic leaders in California. Trump officials argue that years of massive spending have created a homelessness industry that consumes taxpayer money without doing enough to address addiction, mental illness and long-term street homelessness.

Kennedy is making clear that Washington will no longer treat federal homelessness funding as automatic. Local agencies seeking taxpayer money will increasingly be expected to demonstrate that their programs are producing measurable improvements rather than simply managing homelessness indefinitely.

For Los Angeles, that could put approximately $240 million on the line. Kennedy’s warning signals that the Trump administration is prepared to use the federal government’s financial power to force major changes in one of the country’s largest and most heavily funded homelessness systems.