Mayor Karen Bass will not travel to Washington, D.C., to answer questions about how federal money is spent. A House subcommittee asked her to appear on September 15 regarding over $1 billion in homeless funding. RedState reported that her office confirmed she has a scheduling conflict for the hearing date. The committee wants to probe alleged waste and fraud at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA.
Her legal team sent a letter to the subcommittee explaining why she cannot come. David Michaelson, her counsel, wrote that the mayor simply “is not available on that date.” The hearing aims to look at how the agency allocates federal grants to local nonprofit groups. The Washington Examiner noted that the Republican chairman summoned Bass to address these specific spending concerns.
LOS ANGELES: According to her office, Mayor Karen Bass will not travel to Washington, D.C., to testify before Congress after being called to appear over concerns about how federal homelessness funds have been spent in Los Angeles.
Her office says Bass has a scheduling conflict… pic.twitter.com/qbLoNEGNv1— Joe Moeller (@joemoeller44) September 5, 2026
The mayor’s attorneys argue she does not run the agency being investigated. According to a letter secured by The California Post, LAHSA maintains an independent executive leadership team and staff accountable for daily operations, budgeting, and administration. The Mayor does not control LAHSA’s operation, budget, or administration. This defense comes even though Bass and her four appointees hold five of the ten seats on the LAHSA commission. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors fills the remaining five seats.
Michaelson also said her office is trying to provide the requested documents by September 14. He warned that gathering records from as far back as January 2020 might “take some time.” Despite the refusal to testify, the city claims it is cooperating with the request for records. RedState noted that the city says it is working with the congressional committee on this issue.
Los Angeles has received over $1 BILLION in federal funding to combat homelessness since 2021.
Yet homelessness persists while reports expose corrupt contracts and nonprofit self-enrichment.@RepTimBurchett is calling on Mayor Karen Bass to testify. https://t.co/mkamqmZIfJ
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) September 3, 2026
The agency under scrutiny gets 73% of its funding directly from city taxpayers. The New York Post reported that the group operates out of a luxury office tower that offers perks like a helipad. Federal investigators are looking into alleged financial mismanagement at the group.
Michaelson pushed back on the idea that homelessness is rising, stating that street homelessness in Los Angeles has dropped 11% since 2023. The city credits programs like Inside Safe for moving people from the streets into interim housing.
The committee remains focused on whether federal dollars were misallocated to certain nonprofit groups in the area. Per RedState, the subcommittee will continue to review the records provided by the mayor’s office. The question now is whether the documents will show the waste the committee suspects.
