Ending Crime and Disorder on America's Streets

What it is

Executive Order 14321, signed July 24, 2025, directs multiple federal agencies to shift how the government addresses street homelessness, prioritizing enforcement of anti-camping and drug-use laws, expanded use of civil commitment (court-ordered institutional treatment), and conditions on federal grants tied to local enforcement policies.

What it changes

Federal grants from the Departments of Justice, HHS, HUD, and Transportation may now be prioritized for states and localities that enforce bans on outdoor camping, open drug use, and squatting, and that actively use civil commitment or assisted outpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness or substance use disorder on the streets. The Attorney General is directed to challenge court rulings and consent decrees that limit civil commitment and to make Emergency Federal Law Enforcement Assistance funds available for removing encampments. HHS must stop funding “harm reduction” and “safe consumption” programs through SAMHSA grants, redirecting that money to programs deemed evidence-based. HUD is directed to move away from “Housing First” policies — which provide housing without treatment prerequisites — and instead condition participation in federally funded housing programs on engagement with substance abuse or mental health treatment. Organizations that operate drug injection sites or knowingly distribute drug paraphernalia face federal legal review and potential funding freezes.

Who is affected

Homeless individuals are directly affected, as the order encourages civil commitment and makes access to federally funded housing contingent on participating in treatment programs. State and local governments that do not enforce anti-camping or open drug-use laws risk losing priority access to discretionary federal grants. Nonprofit organizations and service providers that receive federal homelessness or housing funds — particularly those operating harm-reduction programs or safe consumption sites — face heightened scrutiny, potential loss of funding, and possible federal criminal or civil action.