Trump housing pledge for veterans faces budget gap

The Story

According to NPR, President Trump’s executive order promising to house 6,000 homeless veterans on the West LA VA campus has not received any funding in the administration’s April budget request. The report says that construction on the campus has faced delays across four administrations and that recent congressional hearings revealed bipartisan frustration over the lack of a clear plan.

Key Facts

• A year ago, the Trump administration issued an executive order to house 6,000 veterans at a new National Center for Warrior Independence on the West LA VA campus.
• The April budget request included zero dollars to build new housing for those 6,000 veterans.
• At a House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing, California Democrat Rep. Mark Takano said VA staff cuts leave insufficient support for the existing 1,200 billets on the campus.
• The Republican head of the committee, Mike Bost, criticized the use of nondisclosure agreements and questioned whether the VA believes it is above congressional oversight.
• Danielle Runyan, senior counselor to the VA secretary, blamed litigation for failures to brief Congress and said the administration inherited lawsuits.
• VA Press Secretary Quinn Slaven stated that VA is adding police officers and lighting and will release requests for proposals for thousands of additional housing units.
• Wisconsin Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden called the project “corruption” and said there was no clear cost estimate for a $500 million down payment.
• Longtime watcher Anthony Allman of Vets Advocacy said $98 million in the budget goes to renovate a building the VA already claimed to have funds for in 2019, and the VA did not respond to a query about where that money went.
• The article reports that housing capacity on the campus grew from 955 to 1,377 beds during the first year of the Trump administration, but none of that stems from the executive order.

Conflicting Reports

The article reports a discrepancy between the White House’s executive order to house 6,000 veterans and the budget request that allocates zero dollars for new housing. Additionally, while the administration points to litigation as a barrier to progress, some lawmakers and advocates question the lack of transparency and accountability for past funds.

Still Unclear

Why the administration’s budget request asked for zero funding for new beds on the campus despite the executive order. The source of the 6,000 figure and whether the plan involves moving homeless veterans from other parts of the country remain unexplained, as does the whereabouts of $98 million allocated for a building renovation that was supposed to be funded earlier.

Misconceptions

No widespread misconceptions addressed in the source article.

Key Figures

• Vincent Tourville – veteran who lived on the West LA VA campus
• Rep. Mark Takano – California Democrat, House Veterans Affairs Committee
• Rep. Mike Bost – Republican head, House Veterans Affairs Committee
• Danielle Runyan – senior counselor to the VA secretary
• Quinn Slaven – VA Press Secretary
• Rep. Derrick Van Orden – Wisconsin Republican
• Anthony Allman – Vets Advocacy

Sources: NPR