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Report: Trump Wants To Shut Down California Homeless Camps

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, U.S., Sept. 9, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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President Donald Trump is reportedly fed up with the homeless camps that dot the California landscape and wants to move the residents into some form of transitional housing.

The camps are not only an eyesore but contribute to lawlessness. The problem has intensified over the summer and Trump is apparently ready to move beyond criticizing the state’s lack of response to proving solutions, sources told the Washington Post Tuesday.

Tens are placed along Skid Row is seen in Los Angles on September 23, 2015. Los Angeles elected officials this week declared a homelessness "state of emergency" and pledged $100 million in funding to tackle the crisis. (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

Tens are placed along Skid Row is seen in Los Angles on Sept. 23, 2015. Los Angeles elected officials this week declared a homelessness “state of emergency” and pledged $100 million in funding to tackle the crisis. (Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images)

Those sources did not say what exactly the administration would do and did not care to speculate whether California and municipal governments would be anxious to collaborate with a president who has consistently blamed them for the homelessness plight in the state. (RELATED: ‘We Need A Federal Intervention’: California Resident Sounds Off On Homelessness Crisis)

Trump’s interest in the project is reportedly part of his focus on urban decay across America, with cities being held captive to collapsing infrastructure, criminal gangs and chronic violence, the Post notes.

Trump reportedly sent aides and officials from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to California this week and asked them to pay particular attention to Los Angeles, where people are camping on the sidewalks for miles. The president is considering demolishing the homeless camps while building new facilities and renovating existing federal government buildings for occupancy, according to the Post.

A White House spokesman told the Post that Trump has already signed an executive order aimed at nullifying “regulatory barriers” that prevent affordable housing from being affordable to build.

“Like many Americans, the president has taken notice of the homelessness crisis, particularly in cities and states where the liberal policies are combining to dramatically increase poverty and public health risks,” White House spokesman Judd Deere told the Post. “President Trump has directed his team to go further and develop a range of policy options for consideration to deal with this tragedy.”

U.S. President Donald Trump confers with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi while departing the U.S. Capitol following a St. Patrick's Day celebration on March 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump confers with Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi while departing the U.S. Capitol following a St. Patrick’s Day celebration on March 14, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

The problem is arguably just as profound in San Francisco and Trump took time this summer to suggest in a tweet that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has turned a blind eye to the problems in her congressional district. (RELATED: Homelessness In San Francisco Bay Area Has Gone Amok As Officials Scramble For Answers)

“Speaking of failing badly, has anyone seen what is happening to Nancy Pelosi’s district in San Francisco. It is not even recognizeable lately. Something must be done before it is too late. The Dems should stop wasting time on the Witch Hunt Hoax and start focusing on our Country!”