Trump's promise to house 6,000 homeless veterans on a Los Angeles VA campus missing from budget proposal

The president's proposed budget fails to include any funding for the proposed 'Center for Warrior Independence.'

1 minute read

June 1, 2026, 9:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Tent set up on sidewalk covered with blue tarp and American flag on front next to fence to VA campus in West Los Angeles, California.

Unhoused veterans camp near the Veterans Affairs campus in Los Angeles, California. | MSPhotographic / Shutterstock

A 2025 executive order issued by President Trump promised the construction of a "National Center for Warrior Independence" on the grounds of the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center that would house 6,000 veterans experiencing homelessness. 

A year later, the president's $2.2 trillion budget proposal includes no funding for the project, reports Bruce Golding in The Independent, and VA officials were asked to sign nondisclosure agreements related to the project. 

"During a contentious House Veterans Affairs Committee hearing on May 13, Chairman Mike Bost (R-Ill.), asked VA officials about the plans for Los Angeles and if they thought they were 'above congressional oversight,' according to NPR." A VA official said the department is "hard at work implementing President Trump's executive order" by reclaiming sections of the campus that have been leased to private companies. During the hearing, Rep. Mark Takano also pointed out that recent staffing cuts at the VA left the West LA center without enough staff to serve existing residents, let alone an additional 6,000.

Thursday, May 28, 2026 in The Independent

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