Keeping Promises to Veterans and Establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence
This executive order directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to create a National Center for Warrior Independence on the West Los Angeles VA campus as a hub to house and serve homeless veterans and provide them with housing, medical care, addiction treatment, and pathways to self-sufficiency. It sets timelines and cross‑agency coordination requirements, orders steps to restore accountability within the VA, and directs initiatives to reduce wait times and expand veterans’ healthcare options nationally. The order is administrative (executive) rather than legislative — it sets agency priorities and deadlines but is limited by existing law and by the availability of appropriations (Congress must provide needed funding). It also calls for cooperation with other federal agencies (HUD, HHS, DoD, OMB) and for using voucher programs to support veterans who need housing.
Key Points
- 1Designation and mission: The Secretary of Veterans Affairs must designate the West Los Angeles VA campus as the National Center for Warrior Independence to serve homeless veterans locally and nationally, focusing on housing, health (including substance‑use treatment), and re‑entry to productive work and community life.
- 2Capacity and timelines: The VA must produce, within 120 days, an action plan to restore the campus capacity to house up to 6,000 homeless veterans by January 1, 2028.
- 3Cross‑agency coordination and funding direction: The VA must coordinate with HHS and HUD (and other relevant agencies) and is directed to ensure funds that “may have been spent on housing or other services for illegal aliens” are redirected to build and maintain the Center. (The order’s redirection language is broad and its implementation would be constrained by existing law and appropriations.)
- 4Housing vouchers and local support: The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in consultation with VA, is directed to use vouchers to support homeless veterans in Los Angeles and nationwide who access the Center. The VA is also directed to work with municipalities and other VA facilities to enable veterans outside Los Angeles to use the Center.
- 5Accountability and access improvements: The Secretary must use existing disciplinary authority (including the VA Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017) to act against misconduct, investigate rehiring/back‑pay decisions from prior administrations, and reallocate any determined savings toward veteran services. The VA must also produce near‑term plans to reduce Veterans Health Administration wait times (report in 60 days), study expanding a full‑service medical center in New Hampshire (feasibility study in 30 days; action plan in 180 days), and develop a broader strategy with DoD and OMB to improve healthcare delivery (including possible cross‑use of military treatment facilities and VA sites).