by Adam Kissel
The American Institute for Economic Research
On September 2, President Donald Trump ordered the federal government to defund or disfavor “anarchist jurisdictions”—Seattle, Portland, New York City, the District of Columbia, and more—to the fullest extent of the law. If agencies act before the September 30 close of the fiscal year, they can keep federal programs from putting people at risk in the coming months. Otherwise, agencies would have to claw back the money or wait until next year when the position of these jurisdictions may be quite different.
In general, I am skeptical of government programs in the first place, but it is unlawful to leave large amounts of Congressional appropriations unspent. We are not talking about an anarchist utopia where private policing has taken the place of government police. These cities are dangerous because each government has established a monopoly on the legal use of force, but they are failing to use it effectively. A program that operates in such a jurisdiction puts its recipients at risk.