Budget Request Excludes Funding for West LA VA Housing
Trump administration’s FY2026 budget allocates no money for new beds on campus, despite a presidential pledge to house 6,000 homeless veterans.
A year after President Trump signed an executive order promising to build a new National Center for Warrior Independence at the West Los Angeles VA campus, his administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request included zero dollars for new housing there.
Key Details
- The executive order, announced a year ago, pledged a new National Center for Warrior Independence.
- The VA’s fiscal 2026 budget request allocated no funding for new housing beds on the campus.
- Housing capacity on the campus increased from 955 to 1,377 beds during the first year of the Trump administration, but this was unrelated to the executive order.
Background
The West LA VA campus has been the subject of lawsuits and court orders mandating additional housing for veterans across four administrations. Despite its own pledge to build, the Trump administration continued to appeal a 2024 court ruling that mandated housing construction on the site.
Additionally, the administration required VA officials and advocates to sign nondisclosure agreements, which critics say limited congressional oversight.
Statements from Officials
Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) warned that existing staff cuts leave inadequate support for current beds and cautioned the campus could become a “vast West Side skid row.”
Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) questioned whether the administration believed it was “above congressional oversight.”
- Danielle Runyan, senior counselor to the VA secretary, attributed failures to brief Congress to ongoing litigation over land use.
- VA Press Secretary Quinn Slaven said VA has added police officers and lighting, and that a request for proposals for additional housing would be released “in the coming days.”
- Anthony Allman of Vets Advocacy expressed skepticism, stating, “We’ve seen large amounts of money dedicated to this project over various administrations, and we can’t really account for where that money goes.”
Timeline
- February 2025: Trump administration appealed a court ruling mandating housing construction.
- April 2025: Administration budget request showed zero funding for new beds.
- May 2025: House Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing on the issue.