President Donald Trump promised to address the homelessness issue in major California cities, as he traveled to the state for a series of political fundraisers.
He suggested the creation of an “individual task force” that would address the problem.
“The people of San Francisco are fed up, and the people of Los Angeles are fed up,” Trump said. “And we’re looking at it, and we’ll be doing something about it.”
The president spoke to reporters on Air Force One on the trip to California and confirmed that he would speak to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson about the problem.
“We can’t let Los Angeles, San Francisco, and numerous other cities destroy themselves by allowing what’s happening,” Trump said.
He said that he spoke to foreign business investors in California who were so frustrated with the homelessness problem that they were ready to leave. He also expressed concerns about the spreading diseases in tent cities. A recent outbreak of Typhus in Los Angeles has also raised the alarm among residents.
“Our policeman that are on the beat are getting sick. They’re actually sick,” Trump said. “They’re going to the hospital. We can’t let that happen.”
Reports last week noted that the president was looking at a number of options to deal with the problem, including possibly invoking the National Emergencies Act of 1976 to declare an emergency or moving the homeless in Los Angeles to a FAA facility.