Despite the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, Donald Trump is reportedly looking to cut coronavirus relief and other health funding in Democratic cities, according to documents obtained by Politico.
According to the report, the current administration is looking to cut millions of dollars in funds for cities run by Democrats. New York City, Portland, Washington D.C., and Seattle are among the cities that could lose funding for programs that assist the respective cities' poorest and sickest residents. These are the same cities that Trump has called "anarchist jurisdictions" in a memo he released in September. At the time, he indicated that his administration had looked to "review the use of Federal funds" in these Democratic-led areas.
The list of potential cuts goes beyond coronavirus-related relief, however, as the Department of Health and Human Services has provided a list of proposed cuts in federal aid for HIV treatment and screenings for newborns, too. Attorney General William Barr previously said that these "anarchist jurisdictions" would have their funding reviewed, stating that they "cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance."
The list provided by the Department of Health and Human Services was sent to the White House budget office on Friday (Oct. 16). It was compiled with additional input from around 12 of the agencies that it oversees, with over 185 programs included on the list. "As the data comes in, OMB will collect it and make a decision," an anonymous senior administration official who warned that cities could lose their existing funds told Politico.
"We need to review the information with agencies before we know," that official added. "Grant programs all have different authorities so it’s going to be case by case."
