Reps. Cleaver, Sherman, and Beatty Lead Call to Protect USICH, Federal Homelessness Resources from Trump Administration Cuts
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Ranking Member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, Representative Brad Sherman (D-CA), and Representative Joyce Beatty (D-OH) led 38 House Democrats in condemning President Trump’s executive order targeting the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) responsible for coordinating the federal response to homelessness. In a letter to President Donald Trump, the lawmakers called on the Trump Administration to rescind the executive order and to discontinue all executive actions that serve to exacerbate the nation’s fair and affordable housing and homelessness crisis.
"The issuance of an EO declaring current components and functions of the USICH as elements of the federal government that “the President has determined are unnecessary” during an all-hands-on-deck homelessness crisis is nonsensical,” wrote the lawmakers. “This decision follows your Administration’s abrupt discontinuance of an unprecedented number of [Continuum of Care] technical assistance contracts through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) without any remedial efforts to offset the loss to CoCs coordinating housing and services for people experiencing homelessness.”
“Your Administration’s EO undermining the work of USICH, and other federal agencies and departments, is irrational and counterproductive to federal efforts to address homelessness across the nation,” the lawmakers continued. “Therefore, we urge you to rescind the EO and respond to this letter with your plans to strengthen USICH’s independent, interagency mission and work with Congress to provide adequate funding and support for federal agencies, programs, and partners working to address the nation’s fair and affordable housing crisis.”
Since the inauguration of President Trump, Congressman Cleaver has fought to protect federal housing programs from deep and reckless cuts being illegally imposed by Elon Musk and DOGE. In February, Cleaver launched the Congressional Public Housing Caucus to serve as a dedicated resource for Members of Congress to help defend and strengthen public housing nationwide. Last month, as co-chair of the CPHC, Cleaver condemned the Trump Administration and DOGE for their efforts to eliminate HUD initiatives, programs, and personnel essential to public housing, calling on Secretary Turner to provide a detailed analysis of the impact of such cuts. Last week, Cleaver joined Senator Alex Padilla to lead more than 100 congressional Democrat in denouncing cuts to HUD Field Offices nationwide.
The official letter from lawmakers is available here.
Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Greenwood, Blue Springs, North Kansas City, Gladstone, and Claycomo. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee and Ranking Member of the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance.