Trump executive order to allow cities to remove homeless from streets

By 
 updated on July 25, 2025

President Donald Trump’s latest executive order is a bold swing at the homelessness crisis gripping America’s cities. Signed on Thursday, the “Ending Vagrancy and Restoring Order” dictate empowers states and municipalities to clear streets of encampments and guide individuals into treatment, as Fox News reports. It’s a move that promises safety and order, cutting through years of progressive paralysis.

The order, part of Trump’s “Make America Safe Again” push, redirects federal funds to prioritize rehabilitation over enabling street life. It responds to a staggering 274,224 people living on U.S. streets in a single night last year, the highest number ever recorded. This isn’t compassion -- it’s a wake-up call to fix a broken system.

Trump’s directive tasks Attorney General Pam Bondi with dismantling judicial roadblocks such as consent decrees that have handcuffed local governments. These outdated rulings have long shielded urban chaos, letting encampments fester under the guise of civil liberties. Bondi’s mission is to restore local control and clear the way for action.

Targeting root causes

The order doesn’t stop at relocation -- it demands accountability. Federal grants will now favor cities and states that crack down on open drug use, loitering, and urban squatting. This is a direct rebuke to woke policies that have turned public spaces into open-air drug markets.

Bondi will team up with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Their goal? Ensure federal dollars flow to jurisdictions that prioritize safety and sobriety over coddling addiction. It’s a refreshing shift from enabling dysfunction.

The Housing and Urban Development’s January report revealed an 18% spike in homelessness from 2023 to 2024. That’s not progress -- it’s a policy failure of epic proportions. Trump’s order aims to reverse this trend by focusing on treatment, not tolerance of street life.

Restoring order to cities

Trump has long promised to clean up America’s urban centers, with Washington, D.C., at the top of his list. “Crime-free capital,” he declared in March, vowing a city where visitors aren’t “mugged or shot or raped.” His words cut through the fog of excuses that have justified urban decay for too long.

The executive order ensures federal funds won’t prop up drug injection sites or enable illicit drug use. Discretionary grants for substance-use disorder programs will now focus on prevention, treatment, and recovery. This is a clear rejection of the harm-reduction nonsense that’s fueled addiction crises.

Cities and states are now incentivized to track sex offenders and enforce laws against urban camping. This isn’t about punishing the homeless -- it’s about restoring public spaces for everyone. The left’s obsession with unchecked “freedom” has left streets unusable for law-abiding citizens.

A new path forward

Trump’s order is a lifeline for communities drowning in the consequences of progressive dogma. By redirecting funds to rehabilitation and treatment, it offers a practical solution over ideological posturing. The days of normalizing street encampments are numbered.

The collaboration between Bondi, Kennedy, Turner, and Duffy signals a unified front against urban decline. Their mandate is clear: prioritize safety, sobriety, and accountability. It’s a strategy that puts results over feelings, a rarity in today’s policy landscape.

Critics will cry foul, claiming this approach lacks compassion. But enabling addiction and street life isn’t kindness -- it’s cruelty dressed up as empathy. True compassion lies in offering a path out of chaos, not a blanket to sleep on the sidewalk.

Reclaiming public spaces

The 274,224 homeless counted last year aren’t just statistics -- they’re a symptom of failed leadership. Trump’s order confronts this head-on, refusing to let cities spiral further into disorder. It’s a policy that dares to demand better for everyone.

Washington, D.C., could soon be a model for what’s possible when common sense prevails. Trump’s vision of a “cleaner and better and safer” capital isn’t just rhetoric -- it’s a blueprint for action. The left’s hand-wringing won’t stop this momentum.

This executive order marks a turning point in the fight against homelessness and urban decay. By empowering local governments and prioritizing treatment, Trump is tackling a crisis the previous administration ignored. America’s streets deserve order, and this edict delivers.

About Alex Tanzer

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