'With A Single Stroke Of Your Pen, You Can Make A Major Impact,' California Governor To Trump On Homeless Funds

California Governor Gavin Newsom has asked President Trump to release funding to combat the state’s ongoing homelessness problem, according to Reuters.

What Happened

Gavin asked President Trump to stop holding up the federal housing vouchers that, if released, would help 50,000 homeless people to secure a permanent home in California.

Mr. President should “immediately order” the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to release the funds, said Gavin in a statement released by the governor’s office on Thursday.

“With a single stroke of your pen, you can make a major, positive impact on homelessness right away,” added Gavin in his written statement.

The HUD estimates there could be around 130,000 people are homeless in California on any given day.

Why It Matters

The Democratic governor has been recently in a tug of war with the Republican President over the California homelessness issue.

Earlier in September, Trump administration rejected the California governor’s application for more funding to deal with the state’s homelessness problem.

HUD Secretary Ben Carson at the time said, “Your letter seeks federal dollars for California from hardworking American taxpayers but fails to admit that your State and local policies have played a major role in the current crisis.”

Earlier this week, Gavin hired a homelessness official that President Trump had fired over White House proposals to tackle the homelessness issue in California.