The Department of Justice vowed to strip federal funding from New York and two other cities on Monday, following a legally dubious directive issued by President Trump earlier this month to withhold money from "anarchist jurisdictions."
In a memo released on Monday, the Attorney General's Office claimed that NYC, Seattle, and Portland had "permitted violence and destruction of property to persist and have refused to undertake reasonable measures to counteract criminal activities."
The document cites New York's growing rates of gun violence, decisions from local prosecutors to drop charges against protesters, and cuts made by the City Council to the NYPD budget this summer.
“We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance,’’ Barr said in a statement. “It is my hope that the cities identified by the Department of Justice today will reverse course and become serious about performing the basic function of government and start protecting their own citizens.”
Mayor Bill de Blasio dismissed the move as a political stunt by Trump, whose presidential campaign has sought to paint some cities under Democratic leadership as lawless zones.
"It's thoroughly political. It's part of his campaign strategy. It's not based on facts," the mayor said during his briefing on Monday.
The threat reflects the president's increasingly desperate efforts to play up urban violence and cast himself as the law-and-order candidate ahead of the November election. Recent polls have indicated that Trump has not benefitted from recent unrest in some cities sparked by protests against racist policing.
If successful, the threat could deal a staggering blow to the city's already spiraling finances. During fiscal year 2017, NYC received nearly $8 billion in federal categorical grants, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the city's total budget.
NYC Corporation Counsel James Johnson called the move a "high-tech heist," adding that the president did not have the constitutional authority to withhold money from cities. He promises to mount a legal challenge if Trump "actually takes concrete steps" to cut funding.
But while city leaders and New Yorkers mainly ridiculed the threatened cuts, the move was immediately celebrated by some of the city's police unions — including the Police Benevolent Association, whose longtime boss Pat Lynch recently endorsed Trump.
Ed Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, also said he that he agreed with the Attorney General's announcement.
"Barr is correct we are living in criminal anarchy," he told Gothamist over text message. "People are afraid and the police are unable to protect them."
Asked if he was concerned about the impact on New Yorkers if the cash-strapped city lost billions in federal funding, Mullins, a Long Island resident, said the ends would justify the means.
"Of course I'm concerned but this will force regular New Yorkers to vote out the people who did this," he wrote.
Inquiries to the NYPD were not returned.
