OAN Staff Brooke Mallory
5:27 PM – Thursday, July 24, 2025

President Donald Trump has issued an executive order (EO) aimed at easing restrictions on the removal of homeless individuals and drug users from public spaces by local and state authorities.

On Thursday, Trump announced the directive that instructs U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to challenge existing judicial precedents and dismantle consent decrees that currently constrain government efforts to relocate homeless individuals from streets and encampments into treatment and rehabilitation facilities.

The order reallocates federal resources to support the transition of affected individuals into care programs. However, the specific funding levels and implementation mechanisms remain unclear.

The order breaks from Democrat-led “housing-first” strategies, instead prioritizing sobriety-based approaches and mandatory treatment.

Many residents in states with high rates of homelessness, such as California and New York, argue that taxpayer-funded housing initiatives fail to address the root causes of homelessness. They argue that a significant portion of the “unhoused” population is primarily affected by severe substance abuse, with addiction—particularly to hard drugs—playing a central role in their continued displacement.

Critics also maintain that providing housing without comprehensive rehabilitation services risks creating environments that function as de facto “drug dens,” potentially exacerbating overdose rates and fostering conditions of squalor rather than genuine recovery or stability.

The executive order, titled “Ending Crime and Disorder on America’s Streets,” directs Bondi to collaborate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Transportation.

Together, they will prioritize the allocation of federal grants to states and municipalities that actively enforce bans on open illicit drug use, urban camping, loitering, and squatting — as well as those that maintain systems to monitor the whereabouts of registered sex offenders.

“Trump is delivering on his commitment to Make America Safe Again and end homelessness across America,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, in relation to the news.

“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,” she added.

Trump’s executive action also follows a June ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that permits the arrest and fining of homeless individuals for sleeping in public spaces. The 6–3 decision overturned a lower court ruling that such enforcement constituted “cruel and unusual punishment.”

The ruling upheld a local ordinance in Grants Pass, Oregon—a city of 38,000—prohibiting individuals from sleeping outdoors. Under the ordinance, unhoused residents may face initial fines of $250, with the potential for jail time upon repeated violations, USA Today reported.

Stay informed! Receive breaking news alerts directly to your inbox for free. Subscribe here. https://www.oann.com/alerts