‘This is a sham’: Local leaders react to Trump plan to pull federal funds from Seattle

Local leaders reacted Wednesday to a memorandum issued by President Trump, seeking to withdraw federal funding from cities like Seattle, Portland, New York, and Washington, D.C.

The memo calls on a handful of agencies to identify “anarchist jurisdictions” and redirect federal funds away from them “to the maximum extent permitted by law.” Among other cities, it specifically names Seattle, claiming that it “allowed anarchists and rioters to take over six square blocks of the city,” and that “the local government endorsed this lawlessness and taking of property.”

“My Administration will do everything in its power to prevent weak mayors and lawless cities from taking Federal dollars while they let anarchists harm people, burn buildings, and ruin lives and businesses,” Trump tweeted Wednesday evening. “We’re putting them on notice today.”

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At the direction of Trump’s memo, the U.S. Department of Justice will publish a public list of “anarchist jurisdictions” in two weeks. Federal agencies are directed to report on all federal money currently being directed toward Seattle, Portland, New York City, and Washington, D.C., within that same time period. After 30 days, Trump plans to issue guidance on how that money can be redirected elsewhere.

Shortly after the memo was released, Gov. Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal all released statements decrying the move.

“This illegal memorandum is a sham,” Inslee said in a written release. “It is just the latest baseless, petty and divisive move by President Trump to distract from his abject failure to protect Americans from COVID-19. With more than 185,000 lives lost on his watch, we won’t forget. The president cannot and will not defund us. He is not a dictator and laws still apply to him. While we’re calling our lawyers, he should call his public health experts. This will not stand.”

“The only anarchy zone in America, where the rule of law is disregarded, is at the White House,” Durkan said in a statement posted to Twitter.

President Trump cannot defund Seattle – it is unlawful. Surely the Attorney General has advised the President of the United States that he does not have the power to decide who gets funding based on his political interests.

— Mayor Jenny Durkan (@MayorJenny) September 3, 2020

“Not just unlawful but also a prime example of Trump’s failed leadership and desperation,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, whose Congressional district includes Seattle. “Amidst COVID, people in Seattle & across America need more federal funding — not less. Yet he would prefer to turn your attention away from these real crises by fearmongering & fanning racism.”

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