Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass has refused to appear at a House committee hearing investigating alleged fraud at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and could now face a congressional subpoena.
The House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, led by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., had requested that Bass testify Tuesday, Sept. 15, about alleged waste, fraud, and abuse at LAHSA, which has received more than $1 billion in federal funds since 2021.
When the Daily Signal asked whether Burchett would consider subpoenaing Bass to testify at a later date, a spokesperson for the chairman said, โAll options are on the table.โ
In an interview with MS NOW, Bass said she would not attend due to schedule conflicts. She also criticized the potential cost of complying with the committeeโs document request but pledged that her office would cooperate.
โThey also asked for a ton of documents,โ Bass said. โYou can imagine how much money is being wasted, spent, because you have to have attorneys.โ
As of Monday morning, Bassโ office had not submitted the requested documents, according to a source familiar with the investigation, though the mayor has until close of business Monday to comply.
โWe arenโt expecting to get anything from her office,โ the source told the Daily Signal.
The Daily Signal reached out to Bassโ office to ask whether it plans to comply with Mondayโs document deadline and whether the mayor would be willing to testify on another date. Bassโ office did not respond by publication time.
The congressional investigation follows a June decision by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to suspend LAHSA from receiving federal funding after alleging repeated โfraud and corruption,โ according to Scott Brady, the White House Task Force executive director.
A federal judge later blocked the suspension while LAHSAโs legal challenge proceeded.
Bass herself has acknowledged problems within LAHSA. Her office previously said the mayor has โgrave concerns about LAHSA and zero tolerance for mismanagement and negligence.โ
HUD said that over a five-year period in which LAHSA received more than $1 billion in public funding, homelessness in Los Angeles increased approximately 100%, while funding for permanent housing programs increased 212%.
Despite Bassโ own โgrave concernsโ about LAHSA, Tuesdayโs hearing, titled โFixing Fraud and Failure in Federally Funded Homelessness Services,โ will proceed without the Los Angeles mayor.
