Trump announces sanctuary cities funding cut starting Feb. 1

Trump announced on Jan. 13, 2026, during a Detroit Economic Club speech that the federal government will stop all payments to sanctuary cities and states with sanctuary cities starting Feb. 1, 2026. He threatened 'significant' cuts but provided no implementation details, no definition of which jurisdictions qualify as sanctuary cities, and no legal authority for the cuts. Trump said 'I'm announcing today that starting on Feb. first, the federal government will stop all payments to those sanctuary cities and states that have sanctuary cities.' The announcement came hours after he posted 'HELP IS ON ITS WAY' urging Iranian protesters to continue demonstrations, while his DOJ pressured prosecutors to investigate Minneapolis protesters for monitoring ICE operations.

Federal courts blocked Trump's sanctuary city funding threats in 2017 and again in 2025. In 2017, a federal judge ruled Trump couldn't withhold Justice Department grants from sanctuary cities without congressional authorization. In Dec. 2025, a federal judge blocked Trump's attempt to withhold highway funds from sanctuary jurisdictions, ruling it violated the separation of powers because only Congress has appropriations authority. The Supreme Court has repeatedly held that the executive branch can't add conditions to federal spending that Congress didn't authorize. Trump's Feb. 1 deadline suggests he plans to act unilaterally despite these court rulings.

DOJ's sanctuary list—created under Trump's first term—includes 36 jurisdictions: the states of 🌴California, 🦞Connecticut, 🗽New York; cities including Boston, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, Portland; and counties including Baltimore County, Cook County (🌽Illinois), and King County (🌲Washington). The list was compiled based on jurisdictions that limit cooperation with ICE detainer requests or don't notify ICE before releasing individuals wanted for immigration violations. However, many listed jurisdictions dispute they're sanctuary cities and say they comply with federal law while protecting community trust in local police.

The administration has already begun withholding federal funding from Democratic states and sanctuary jurisdictions. USDA froze 🦆Minnesota's federal funding after the Jan. 9 ICE shooting. CMS is withholding $515 million quarterly from 14 Minnesota Medicaid programs, jeopardizing healthcare for hundreds of thousands. HHS blocked child care block grants and TANF in five Democratic states. The Administration claimed withholding was due to non-cooperation with ICE, but these funding cuts preceded any formal sanctuary city determination. Minneapolis taxpayers paid $2 million in overtime in four days supporting federal ICE operations while facing federal funding cuts.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said on Jan. 13 that Trump's announcement targets cities 'that have dared to stand up to his extreme agenda.' Chicago recorded its fewest murders in 60 years in 2025, contradicting Trump's claims that sanctuary cities 'breed crime and fraud.' Cook County Board President TPToni Preckwinkle said the county has 'significant concerns' about compliance with ICE detainer requests when they lack judicial warrants. Research by the Cato Institute found sanctuary jurisdictions have no higher crime rates than non-sanctuary cities. Trump hasn't provided evidence that sanctuary policies increase crime or undermine public safety.

Trump claimed 🦆Minnesota has '$9 billion' in fraud and uses fraud allegations to justify targeting sanctuary jurisdictions, but his DOJ interference caused Joe Thompson—lead prosecutor on the Feeding Our Future fraud case with 58 convictions—to resign on Jan. 13. Trump uses fraud rhetoric to justify political retaliation while DOJ interference undermines actual fraud prosecutions. Lead prosecutors resign when pressured to investigate protected First Amendment activity rather than pursue criminal cases Trump claims are urgent priorities.

States and cities are preparing legal challenges to the Feb. 1 funding cuts. 🌴California AG Rob Bonta said the state 'will not stand by' while Trump violates the Constitution's separation of powers. 🗽New York AG Letitia James said her office is 'reviewing all legal options.' Multiple state attorneys general plan coordinated litigation arguing Trump can't unilaterally withhold congressionally appropriated funds. The legal strategy mirrors successful challenges to Trump's 2017 sanctuary funding threats. However, the cuts will cause immediate harm even if courts eventually block them, disrupting Medicaid, child care, transportation, and law enforcement programs.

The announcement escalates Trump's use of federal spending as a political weapon against Democratic jurisdictions. Trump has withheld SNAP funding (42 million recipients threatened), frozen 🦆Minnesota Medicaid ($515 million quarterly), blocked child care grants (65,000 children lost care when Head Start closed), and cut transportation funds. He simultaneously spent billions on Venezuela military operations, $40 million on his National Garden of Heroes sculpture project, and thousands of federal agents deployed to Democratic cities. The pattern shows selective enforcement of 'fiscal responsibility'—cut safety net programs for families in Democratic states while spending freely on military operations and political priorities.