Troops aren't Trump's only weapon against big blue cities

"The Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement and National Guard deployments have ignited searing conflicts between the federal government and local officials in Democratic-run cities. But those battles are only the most visible manifestation of a much broader effort by President Donald Trump to exert unprecedented control over the nation's large urban centers. The administration is pressuring cities to adopt conservative policies on issues including racial diversity, transgender rights and immigration by moving to rescind their funding from a wide array of federal programs"

"With tens of billions of dollars in funding at stake, the administration is using the lever of federal dollars to impose right-leaning policies popular in red jurisdictions on blue states and cities that have rejected them. The requirements that federal agencies now seek to impose leave (local governments) with the Hobson's choice of accepting illegal conditions that are without authority, (and) contrary to the Constitution or forgoing the benefit of grant funds that are necessary for crucial local services,"

"So far, lower courts have struck down many of these demands from the administration including in that omnibus case, King County v. Turner, brought by dozens of localities against the requirements the administration has attached to grants from the Departments of Transportation, Health and Human Services and Housing and Urban Development. But the legal fights have many more rounds to go."

The Trump administration has intensified efforts to influence large Democratic-run cities by conditioning federal grants on adoption of conservative policies across immigration, racial diversity, and transgender rights. The administration has threatened to rescind or cancel tens of billions of dollars in funding to enforce these conditions. Dozens of cities and counties sued, arguing the requirements impose illegal, unconstitutional conditions and leave local governments unable to fund crucial services. Lower courts have struck down many of the administration's demands, including in King County v. Turner, but legal battles are ongoing. The administration continues deploying the National Guard and announcing further grant cancellations to pressure cities.

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