Trump administration threatens to cut budgets in New York, Seattle and Portland because of their “laxity”

The US Department of Justice warned on Monday that progressive cities of New York, Portland and Seattle could be deprived of federal funding because of supposed lax policing, in an extension of an executive order issued in early September by Donald Trump.

Authorities in New York have threatened to take legal action if the Republican government follows through on its threats.

“We cannot waste public funds when citizens’ safety is at stake“said US Department of Justice William Barr.

anarchy, violence and destruction

For the Trump administration, local authorities in New York, Seattle and Portland let it develop “anarchy, violence and destruction“.

Portland and Seattle are blacklisted for failing to curb the excesses that occurred on the sidelines of the demonstrations linked to the death of George Floyd, a black man killed by the Minneapolis police during his arrest.

In the case of Seattle, it is above all a question of “autonomous zone“established in a district of the city for several weeks and from which the police had withdrawn.

But this perimeter was evacuated in early July, after several incidents including two murderers, by the police, who regained control of the premises.

A “chaos” born of the demonstrations

As for Portland, the Trump administration is denouncing it the “chaos“born of daily demonstrations, on the sidelines of which degradations took place.

New York is criticized for not having prosecuted some protesters arrested during the spring marches as well as the increase in the number of shootings in the city in recent months.

“All this is deeply political and contrary to the Constitution“, reacted the mayors of the three cities concerned, in a joint statement, accusing the Trump administration of”flee his responsibilities and blame others to hide his shortcomings“.

Federal funding is the responsibility of Congress, not the government

New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo has warned that if the Trump administration does attempt to deprive New York City of some of its federal funding, it will take legal action.

At a press conference, a New York City mayor legal adviser recalled that federal funding was up to Congress, not government.

In 2019, New York received $ 8.4 billion in federal funding, or 9.1% of its budget.

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