In a legal push against what many see as the federal government's overreach, Santa Clara County, teamed up with a cadre of local governments, including San Francisco and King County in Washington, has filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the Trump administration. The collective move seeks to halt the imposition of new, allegedly unconstitutional conditions on federal homelessness funding sourced from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as reported by the County of Santa Clara.
According to the lawsuit, filed last Friday in U.S. District Court, it accuses the Trump administration of bypassing Congressional approval, an essential legal procedure for altering grant stipulations, to dictate new terms on HUD's Continuum of Care program. The County of Santa Clara, which has been awarded these grants to aid the homeless, finds its critical funding subject to these contentious stipulations. With local budgets straining under immense pressure, the loss of roughly $34 million a year in HUD CoC funds jeopardizes the stability of crucial housing services that the County provides.
Addressing the lawsuit's foundation, County Counsel Tony LoPresti stated, "In our Constitution, Congress holds the power of the purse and is the only branch of government authorized to make changes to spending – not the president or the executive branch." As per the County of Santa Clara, LoPresti slammed the Trump administration for overstepping its executive boundaries and leveraging funding to coerce local government compliance with its political agenda to the detriment of efforts to tackle homelessness.
Amid this tussle, County Executive James R. Williams condemned the administration's actions as "callous and cruel," underscoring the brazen risk posed to the community's well-being. Williams highlighted, "The County relies on federal grant funding to keep people securely and safely housed in our community every day," showcasing the dire consequences if the funding becomes inaccessible. His comments, drawn from an interview with the County of Santa Clara, painted a dire picture of the reality for many who depend on the County's shelter offerings during times of significant hardship.
