White House Releases Executive Order Targeting US Interagency Council on Homelessness and Community Development Financial Institutions Fund

The White House released, late on March 14, an executive order (EO) targeting several federal agencies and departments, including the US Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) and the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) fund.  

The EO aims to eliminate “the non-statutory components and functions” of the listed agencies, instructing them to “reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law.” USICH is responsible for coordinating the federal response to homelessness between departments and agencies, and is authorized by Congress. The CDFI fund helps generate economic development in underserved, under-invested communities, including by providing access to financial products and services for community members and local businesses.  

“USICH’s role is to reduce bureaucracy to make federal efforts to end homelessness more coordinated, streamlined, and effective,” said House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA) in a statement sharply criticizing the EO. “USICH also helps local communities end homelessness by providing technical assistance, which is especially critical in rural areas where homelessness is worsening rapidly. It is in part thanks to the work of USICH that veteran homelessness reached the lowest levels ever recorded in 2024.”  

NLIHC will continue to monitor the impact of the EO on USICH and other federal agencies.