US President Donald Trump signed a memo yesterday that threatens to cut federal funding to “lawless” cities, Reuters reports.
The cities cited include Seattle, Portland, New York, and Washington.
“My Administration will not allow Federal tax dollars to fund cities that allow themselves to deteriorate into lawless zones,” said the memo, which was released by the White House.
The Trump administration has also ordered Attorney-General William Barr to compile a list of “anarchist jurisdictions” that “permitted violence and the destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures” to restore order.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo responded on Twitter, alleging that the president was trying to block funding that states and cities need in order to deal with the coronavirus epidemic.
“He is not a king. He cannot ‘defund’ NYC,” Cuomo said. “It’s an illegal stunt.”