<p>Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has declined to testify before Congress next week regarding the city’s homelessness rate and her government’s actions to address the issue.</p>
<p>In a September 4 letter, Bass’s legal counsel David Michaelson rejected an invitation from Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), a member of the House oversight committee, to testify on Capitol Hill on September 15. Michaelson stated that the Democratic mayor “is not available on that date.”</p>
<p>The congressional subcommittee led by Burchett summoned Bass to answer questions about the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority’s allocation of federal funds to nonprofit groups in the Los Angeles area. In a letter dated September 2, Burchett expressed concern that taxpayer money may have been misallocated to such groups.</p>
<p>“It’s a shame Mayor Bass is afraid to come testify about her policies that have increased homelessness in Los Angeles and enabled a culture of corruption,” a spokesperson for the House oversight committee stated.</p>
<p>While she will not be able to testify, Bass’s office is collecting and reviewing records requested by the subcommittee. Michaelson indicated that the mayor’s office will attempt to provide the relevant documents and information by September 14 but noted that the process may “take some time,” as the requested records date back to January 2020.</p>
<p>Additionally, Bass’s legal counsel mentioned that the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority operates separately from the City of Los Angeles. However, Bass and her four appointees occupy five of the ten seats on the LAHSA commission, with the remaining five appointed by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.</p>
<p>Michaelson also stated that street homelessness in Los Angeles has decreased by 11% since 2023, countering Burchett’s claim that the “problem has grown worse during [her] tenure as mayor.” The Los Angeles government attributes the reduction in homelessness to programs such as Inside Safe, which has transitioned homeless individuals from the streets into interim housing.</p>
<p>Spencer Pratt, the Republican candidate who lost in the mayoral primary this summer, criticized Bass for her refusal to testify before Congress, linking her response to her administration’s failures related to the destructive Los Angeles wildfires in January 2025.</p>
<p>The Washington Examiner contacted Bass’s office for comment.</p>