Jonathan Choe Testifies Before Congressional Subcommittee on Housing First Fraud and Failure

Independent journalist and Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jonathan Choe appeared on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, September 15, to testify before the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the invitation of Chairman Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.). The hearing was titled, “Fixing Fraud and Failure in Federally Funded Homelessness Services.”

Several clips and excerpts of Choe’s videos covering the homelessness and drug addiction crisis were also presented to the subcommittee.

Choe provided testimony based on his experience reporting on the homelessness crisis in West coast cities like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. He addressed the problems inherent in low-barrier housing facilities such as high rates of assaults, theft, sexual violence, drug use, and other criminal activity that result in a high volume of 911 calls.

Choe also addressed how these cities have embraced a radical form of harm reduction, presenting to the subcommittee a red pouch stamped with Washington State’s King County logo that contained drug paraphernalia. From the pouch he pulled out a meth pipe, tourniquet, needles, fentanyl test strips, and more, and explained that the Health Department hands out these pouches to anyone who asks for one.

“They’re giving away free drug supplies like candy in the name of harm reduction and preventing disease,” Choe stated, “with zero oversight and rarely any offers for addiction treatment.”

Paul Webster of Cicero Institute and Samantha Batko of Urban Institute also provided testimony.

You can read the Subcommittee’s takeaways and highlights from the hearing here.

Wolf, Choe Answer Rep. Tlaib’s Challenge

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) fiercely attacked the views presented by Discovery Institute and Cicero Institute, accusing Cicero specifically — a non-profit — of financially benefitting from the homelessness policies they advocate.

She said Discovery and Cicero “have literally no credibility” and then told Chairman Burchett that she “wish[ed] we had a person that had gone through homelessness as a person that would actually testify here.”

Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Tom Wolf, who has an inspiring story of recovery from addiction and homelessness, answered the challenge. “I’ll fly out there on my own dime. Just say when,” he posted to X. Jonathan Choe also offered to fly back to D.C. to testify alongside Wolf.

Watch the full hearing here: