President Biden on Wednesday retracted former President Donald Trump’s memo in September, which instructed the federal bureaucracy to consider raising funding from “anarchist jurisdictions,” including New York City, Portland and Seattle.
The Trump order, first reported by The Post, was implemented by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget and relied on the Department of Justice, which found the quotes tolerated rising violent crime or allowed violent protests.
Biden’s decision to withdraw the warrant came in a list of Trump actions that he rescinded through one executive order. Other retracted Trump actions include a memo promoting classical architecture for use in federal buildings.
The Biden injunction says, “heads of executive departments and agencies will immediately consider taking steps to repeal orders, rules, regulations, guidelines or policies or any portion thereof, implementing or enforcing the identified presidential actions.”
The impact of the designation was potentially serious. New York City gets about $ 7 billion in annual federal aid. New York made the list for cutting $ 1 billion from its NYPD budget amid nearly tripling shootings in July and August.
The Trump administration’s designation put the three cities at a disadvantage in decision-making on federal subsidies, as Trump routinely condemned their reactions to crime and social unrest following George Floyd’s death.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said during a briefing this month that the policies of “anarchist jurisdictions” may be scrapped.
“We are in a new administration and of course are looking at a series of policy measures and are looking our own way. But I don’t think I will comment on the policy of the previous administration a year ago, ”said Psaki in response to a question from The Post.
Russ Vought, who was Trump’s director of the White House Office of Management and Budget and a leading advocate of the “anarchist” designation, told The Post this month that Biden should keep the policy.
“I hope the Biden administration refuses to subsidize with taxpayer dollars, failed state and local leadership that has caused unrest and destruction in many communities. It’s my hope, not my expectation, ”said Vought, who is now president of the Center for American Restoration.