New York sues Trump administration: money and reputation are at stake

Earlier, the Department of Justice declared New York, Portland and Seattle "anarchist jurisdictions" to strip them of federal funding. Now the authorities of the three cities have filed a joint lawsuit against the Trump administration. The edition writes about it NBC New York.

In late September, the Justice Department declared New York, Portland and Seattle "anarchist cities" and threatened to strip them of federal funding. Billions of dollars are at stake.

On October 22, New York filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration to stop it from cutting funding for cities that the Justice Department has called "anarchist jurisdictions."

The memorandum, signed by the president, jeopardizes federal funding for cities "whose authorities do not take sufficient measures to suppress unrest," as Donald Trump previously stated.

“We are taking this action because they took concrete steps - they actually adopted this designation of 'anarchism' and began to include it in their federal grant proposals,” NYC Corporation adviser James Johnson said at a morning press conference on Thursday October 22nd. (James Johnson).

"In an act that offends both the Constitution and common sense, President Trump called on the attorney general to formally identify some American cities as 'anarchist jurisdictions' and put in place the entire federal bureaucracy to prevent such jurisdictions from receiving federal funds," 51 says. page lawsuit.

On the subject: Trump wants to strip New York of federal funding: Cuomo is furious

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court in Seattle, ridicules the designation, calls the president's actions "offensive to both the Constitution and common sense," and at the same time notes that the consequences of withholding federal funds during a pandemic are "deadly." “I said a few weeks ago that if the Trump administration persists in trying to illegally take funding from New York, we will go to court and we will win in court,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday.

According to him, the administration exceeded its powers and violated the rights of cities to police patrolling their streets and allocate the budget.

Johnson said the funds, nearly $ 12 billion, may be under threat.

“It is the defendants, not the cities, who are engaged in lawlessness and threaten the democratic order,” the lawsuit says.

In one of the examples cited in this document, the Federal Transit Administration announced this month that it will consider applications for an ongoing research grant on how public transportation works during the COVID-19 pandemic "in line" with the city's accusation in their admission of anarchy.

The Justice Department explained that the three cities have been identified as "anarchist jurisdictions" because they meet the following criteria:

• Prevent police from intervening to restore order during prolonged violence or destruction
• Deprive of law enforcement protection to an area or structure to which law enforcement officials have a legal right of access but are formally denied access or allowed only in exceptional circumstances
• Police departments restrict actions
• Refuse to accept federal government offers of law enforcement assistance and other criteria

Regarding New York, Attorney General William Barr noted "an increase in unrest, gun violence and property damage." The reason for this is believed to be that the city council cut the police department's budget by $ 1 billion.

The Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.

On September 2, Trump issued an order giving the director of the White House's Budget Office 30 days to write instructions for federal agencies to limit eligibility for federal grants for cities on the list. Although, according to Forbes, it is unclear whether the president has the authority to do so.

The legality of the move was previously questioned by Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe when he tweeted the following: "Obviously, the president has no right to choose which cities to cut off from funding allocated by Congress."