Trump orders review to redirect federal funds from cities ‘that permit anarchy’

President Trump signed a memo that initiates a process to defund large cities that permit “anarchy.”

On Wednesday, the president signed a five-page memo that orders Cabinet agencies to examine funds to multiple metropolitan cities, including Seattle, Portland, Washington, D.C., and New York City, according to the New York Post.

“American taxpayers who fund the great programs that our cities rely on deserve to be protected by their local city officials. We are taking action by exploring all options to ensure Federal resources flowing to lawless cities aren’t being squandered. The lack of law and order surrounding these riots, and response from local leadership, is a dereliction of duty. Our men and women in blue cannot be handcuffed by local leadership in their efforts to respond to riots and protect their fellow citizens,” said Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought in a statement to the Washington Examiner.

“My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,” the memo reads. “To ensure that Federal funds are neither unduly wasted nor spent in a manner that directly violates our Government’s promise to protect life, liberty, and property, it is imperative that the Federal Government review the use of Federal funds by jurisdictions that permit anarchy, violence, and destruction in America’s cities.”

The memo instructs Vought to provide guidance on federal funding to these cities “to the heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants.” Vought’s guidance would come 30 days after the memo’s signing, leading to potential redirection of funds.

The White House document names New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, New York City Mayor de Blasio, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, all Democrats, as state and local leaders who declined federal offers to contain riots.

“While violence has surged, arrests have plummeted. In a 28-day period during the months of June and July, [New York City] arrests were down 62 percent from the same period in 2019. Amidst the rising violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council agreed to cut one billion dollars from the New York Police Department (NYPD) budget, including by cancelling the hiring of 1,163 officers,” the memo reads.

“As a result of these State and local government policies, persistent and outrageous acts of violence and destruction have continued unabated in many of America’s cities, such as Portland, Seattle, and New York,” the document continues.

Civil unrest has erupted across the country since the death of George Floyd in May, leading to violence, looting, and vandalism that have accompanied demonstrations. Trump promised to send the military into cities that fail to quell violence in June. Democratic state and local leaders since then have repeatedly resisted assistance from federal agents. In a campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the president speculated that the governing strategies of left-wing mayors and politicians might hurt their electoral chances.

“Now, I may be wrong, but it’s probably better for us to just watch that disaster,” Trump said, referring to the Capitol Hill Organized Protest, formerly known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, in downtown Seattle. “Let people see what radical left Democrats will do to our country.”

Portland has been a hot spot of protests for months. Increased vandalism and violence in July concerned federal authorities that the present number of federal agents and local law enforcement officers might not be able to contain the increased aggression of rioters. Federal officers have been hurt by “mortar-style” fireworks launched at them and stunned by lasers flashed in their eyes. Demonstrators have also thrown rocks, bottles, and other debris at agents while attempting to topple a fence guarding the federal courthouse with a chain. The Portland Police Department designated multiple gatherings as riots.

Protests and violence broke out in Kenosha, a Wisconsin city of roughly 100,000 residents, after a viral video emerged of Jacob Blake being shot several times by police at close range during an arrest. The Wisconsin Department of Justice, with the help of the United States Justice Department, is investigating the shooting. The FBI is also conducting a civil rights inquiry into the matter.