Mayor Karen Bass will not be in Washington on September 15 to answer questions. Her office told the House Oversight subcommittee she has a scheduling conflict. The RedState reported that Bass refused to travel to the capital despite the summons. This hearing was set to look into over $1 billion in federal money for homelessness.
The city claims it will still send the papers they asked for. Per Washington Examiner, Bass’s legal team said they are collecting the records. But the mayor herself said she is not available on that date. The committee wanted to know about waste and fraud at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority.
Bass’s lawyers sent a note to the subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency. They argued the mayor does not run the agency in question. The New York Post reported that the correspondence indicated LAHSA keeps its own executive leadership team and staff to handle administration, budget, and daily operations. The Mayor does not control LAHSA’s operation, budget, or administration.
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
Yet Bass and her four picks hold five of the ten seats on the board. The other five seats go to county supervisors. The California Post got a copy of the letter that rejected the invitation. It seems the mayor wants to stay home while the documents get sent over.
Republicans on the committee did not take this well. A spokesperson for the House oversight group spoke to the Washington Examiner. The probe focuses on how funds went to nonprofit groups in the area.
Chairman Tim Burchett had written a letter on September 2 expressing worry about the money. He felt taxpayer cash might have been misallocated. Bass’s lawyer David Michaelson replied on September 4. He noted the records go back to January 2020 and the process might “take some time.” The office hopes to provide documents by September 14.
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
Michaelson also pushed back on the idea that the problem is getting worse. He claimed street homelessness in Los Angeles has dropped 11% since 2023. The city points to a program called Inside Safe for this change. It moves people from the street into interim housing. The mayor’s team says this proves her policies work, even if she skips the meeting.
The hearing date remains September 15 on the calendar. The subcommittee staff is still working with the city’s team. As reported by RedState, the city claims it is complying with the demand for records. The committee will likely move forward without the mayor in the room. The focus stays on the $1 billion in federal funds.
Every person in that room knows the mayor is not coming. The documents will arrive, but the questions will go unanswered by the mayor herself. The city says it is following the rules. The committee says it wants to know the truth about the spending. The date is set, the money is tracked, and the mayor stays home. The records date back to January 2020, and the review is just starting.
