President Donald Trump has asked members of his administration to investigate whether federal funds can be clawed back from Portland, Oregon, in the aftermath of violent antifa protests, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Conservative influencer Nick Sortor was arrested on charges of second-degree disorderly conduct as violent protests broke out near an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, drawing outrage from Leavitt and an investigation from the Justice Department.
“This incident is part of a troubling trend in Portland, where left-wing mobs believe they get to decide who can visit and live in their city. It is not their city, it is the American people’s city, and President Trump is going to restore that,” Leavitt told reporters during a Friday afternoon press briefing.
DOJ ORDERS INVESTIGATION INTO ‘WRONGFUL ARREST’ OF CONSERVATIVE INFLUENCER NICK SORTOR IN PORTLAND
“I just spoke with the President about this, and he has directed his team here at the White House to begin reviewing aid that can potentially be cut in Portland. We will not fund states that allow anarchy,” she added. “There will also be an additional surge of federal resources to Portland immediately, including enhanced CBP and ICE resources. Law and order will prevail, and President Trump will make sure of it.”
The president has already moved to deploy 200 Oregon National Guard soldiers to Portland to crack down on recent protests, although a federal judge is reviewing the legality of the deployment.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson (D-OR) pushed back against attempts from the Trump administration to bring in federal forces after Friday’s press briefing.
“Let me be clear: Portland is not a military target. We will use every legal and constitutional tool at our disposal to protect our residents, uphold our values, and defend the rights of every Portlander,” Wilson said in a statement.
Wilson’s office also claimed that the threat to withhold funding was made without giving the office a formal notice or directive requiring a response and did not provide a clear mission, justification, or timeline.
“The federal government should be focused on partnering with us to expand housing, create jobs, and bolster social services – not siphon vital funding from our economy during a government shutdown that is already hurting cities like ours across the nation,” Wilson added.
The crackdown on Portland comes amid the Trump administration’s attempts to block funding to Democratic led cities and states amid the third day of a government shutdown.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought placed $2.1 billion allocated to the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project in Chicago “on hold.”
“It’s because the administration is concerned that the Biden administration was handing out taxpayer dollars to pay for this construction based on DEI,” Leavitt explained to reporters. “DOT is reviewing the race-based contracting on unconstitutional grounds, and in the meantime, the Department of Transportation funds for these projects are on hold.”
Vought also previously revealed on Wednesday that the government put $18 billion in funding on hold for several large-scale New York infrastructure projects due to similar concerns. He also paused or canceled another $8 billion for “Green New Scam” projects in 16 states, all led by Democrats.
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Trump and Vought met on Thursday to discuss what agencies could potentially face more layoffs during the shutdown. Leavitt told reporters that “discussions continue between the Office of Management and Budget and Cabinet agencies across the board, and they are actively identifying where these cuts and these layoffs have to be made as this government shutdown hopefully does not continue.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Portland for comment.
