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‘Anarchist’ NYC on feds’ defund list over cop cuts
New York City is poised to lose a chunk of the $7 billion it gets in federal aid after being labeled an “anarchist jurisdiction” by the Justice Department, along with Seattle and Portland, Ore.
AG William Barr called it “wasted” money in light of the city slashing police funds.
New York City was among three cities labeled “anarchist jurisdictions” by the Justice Department on Sunday and targeted to lose federal money for failing to control protesters and defunding cops, The Post has learned.
Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash., were the other two cities on the list, which was approved by Attorney General William Barr.
“When state and local leaders impede their own law-enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest,” Barr said in a statement due to be released Monday.
“We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance,’’ the AG said.
“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.”
White House Budget Director Russ Vought is set to issue guidance to federal agencies on withdrawing funds from the cities in less than two weeks.
The list of cities eligible for defunding will be updated periodically, the feds said.
It was not clear what funds would be cut, but the amount of money siphoned from New York City could be massive, given the Big Apple receives about $7 billion in annual federal aid.
The “anarchist’’ designations come after President Trump earlier this month issued a memo ordering financial retribution against cities that have slashed police budgets during crime waves, or were perceived to have tolerated violent protests sparked by the May 25 killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police.
At the time, Gov. Cuomo infamously reacted by warning Trump to watch his step in the city.
“He better have an army if he thinks he’s gonna walk down the street in New York,” the Democratic governor said.
“He can’t have enough bodyguards to walk through New York City, people don’t want to have anything to do with him.”
The Big Apple made the Justice Department’s list in part because the City Council approved a budget in July that cut $1 billion from the NYPD’s $6 billion annual budget — even as murders and shootings in Gotham soared.
In July, the number of shootings in New York City skyrocketed 177 percent over the same period last year, and there was a 59 percent rise in murders. In August, city shootings climbed 165 percent, with murders up about 50 percent.
The Justice Department said it also considered the fact that at least some of the city’s district attorneys have declined to prosecute people arrested for disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly during recent protests.
Trump, in his Sept. 2 memo, instructed Vought to issue guidance within 30 days “to the heads of agencies on restricting eligibility of or otherwise disfavoring, to the maximum extent permitted by law, anarchist jurisdictions in the receipt of Federal grants.”
Trump administration officials told The Post that slashes to lawenforcement efforts are unlikely.
Trump’s memo twice referenced Mayor de Blasio by name, charging, “In New York City, city officials have allowed violence to spike.
“In light of this unconscionable rise in violence, I have offered to provide Federal law enforcement assistance, but both Mayor de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo have rejected my offer,” Trump wrote.
“While violence has surged, arrests have plummeted. In a 28-day period during the months of June and July, [New York City] arrests were down 62 percent from the same period in 2019,’’ the presidential memo said.
“Amidst the rising violence, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the New York City Council agreed to cut one billion dollars from the New York Police
Department budget, including by cancelling the hiring of 1,163 officers.”
Portland made the “anarchist’’ list over its more than 100 consecutive nights of protests and because Mayor Ted Wheeler rejected federal help in a letter to Trump, the feds said.
The city has been roiled in violence between Black Lives Matter protesters and cops — as well as skirmishes with pro-Trump factions.
Portland’s City Council voted to cut its police department budget by at least $15 million in June.
Seattle was included on the Justice Department’s list because of a longrunning protester “autonomous zone” and associated crime, the Trump administration said.
Protesters took over a section of the city for nearly a month during the summer — with police told to abandon a precinct in the middle of the area. The city’s police chief called the zone’s occupation “lawless and brutal’’ — amid a slew of shootings there, including some fatal — before the sprawling illegal encampment was finally dismantled in July.
Seattle voted in August to cut its police budget by about $3 million.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said at a recent press briefing that the federal defunding of cities is legal, citing a 1987 Supreme Court decision, South Dakota v. Dole, involving the establishment of a national drinking age of 21.
We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance.
Attorney General William Barr