President Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at restoring public safety by expanding mandated care for individuals with mental illness or addiction and tying federal support to cities that address public disorder, drug use, and encampments.
Citing record-high homelessness under the previous administration—over 274,000 people in a single night—the order blames decades of failed programs and calls for moving homeless individuals into long-term treatment facilities. The administration says it will not tolerate lawlessness and fear as the status quo.
To implement the order, the Justice Department is directed to help reverse court rulings that restrict civil commitment laws and support state efforts to expand institutional treatment. Federal funding will prioritize cities that crack down on open drug use, camping, squatting, and loitering, and that remove individuals from the streets through civil commitment or outpatient treatment.
The Attorney General must ensure law enforcement grants help clear encampments that threaten public safety. Homeless individuals arrested for federal crimes will be screened for sexual risk and committed if necessary, and the DOJ must prevent the release of seriously mentally ill individuals due to lack of space.
HHS is ordered to fund only programs that reduce homelessness and drug use, ending support for “safe consumption” sites and focusing on crisis care, treatment, and expanding mental health courts. HUD and HHS must also increase oversight, end support for “housing first” models that don’t require recovery, and condition housing aid on treatment participation.
