https://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2020/10/22/nyc-seattle-and-portland-to-sue-trump-over-anarchist-designation-1329484New York and its fellow cities branded anarchist jurisdictions by the Trump administration will file a lawsuit Thursday challenging a move to pull their federal funds.
The Justice Department last month slapped the label on New York, Seattle, and Portland, saying they could lose federal funding because the administration believes they have failed to rein in “violence and destruction of property” on their streets. The “anarchist jurisdiction” designation came after President Donald Trump ordered the DOJ to identify cities that, in his view, were not responding aggressively enough to protests and crime — amid a larger rhetorical attack on blue states the president has deemed politically unsupportive.
The three cities will file a joint complaint in Seattle Thursday seeking to block the move, said Mayor Bill de Blasio and the city’s top lawyer.
New York City stands to lose as much as $12 billion if the threat were fully implemented.
“It’s morally wrong. It’s legally unacceptable. It’s unconstitutional, and we’re going to fight it,” de Blasio said at a press briefing.
De Blasio at first dismissed the move as an election-year ploy. But officials said they’re taking it seriously after the Federal Transit Administration issued a notice of opportunity for cities to apply for a grant this month — and specified that “anarchist” cities could not participate.
