(The Center Square) – Uncertainty looms over Spokane after President Donald Trump said earlier this week that his administration would cut funding to states with “sanctuary” cities at the end of January.
Trump said that starting Feb. 1, the federal government will cut funding for sanctuary states and cities that enforce such policies. The courts have stepped in twice and injuncted similar cuts since starting his second term, but the White House reaffirmed its plans on Thursday in a statement to The Center Square.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice published a “sanctuary” jurisdiction list after Trump warned that cities and states on it could face cuts. An initial version included Spokane County, a largely Trump-aligned area, which was later removed from an updated list. The city of Spokane was never on the list.
Washington state and Seattle do appear on the list due to the Keep Washington Working Act, a policy that some call the state’s “sanctuary” law. The Spokane City Council passed a resolution last February in support of it, despite a conservative on the dais warning that it could put the city under a spotlight.
“The number one recommendation of the 9-11 Commission was that there were too many walls and barriers between law enforcement agencies,” U.S. Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Spokane, said Friday. “Sanctuary state and city laws build walls between law enforcement and make things more dangerous for our community and more and more dangerous for immigrant groups and, you know, for everyone.”
Baumgartner told The Center Square that he hopes Washington state will come around and cooperate with immigration authorities to prevent cuts, and that he’s “trying to work on both.” He criticized state lawmakers who allocated $150 million in benefits for immigrants, including those without legal status.
Spokane Police Chief Kevin Hall told local officials on Thursday that the Washington State Office of the Attorney General says the Keep Washington Working Act doesn’t violate federal law. It came up as the council weighed accepting a DOJ grant that required the city to comply with Trump’s executive orders.
Another provision required the city to comply with certain federal laws regarding sharing immigration statuses, something Hall said SPD doesn’t collect, so he thinks they’re safe. However, the AGO’s website also states that the KWWA could affect eligibility and that agencies should consult legal counsel first.
The Spokane City Council ultimately accepted the $1 million grant with a 5-2 vote, as Councilmember Michael Cathcart cited concerns about being “complicit in committing fraud.” He directly referenced the resolution the council adopted last winter when one member tore up a DOJ memo on sanctuary cities.
“I again am questioning significantly whether or not we will be in compliance,” Cathcart said, noting he doesn’t agree with the AGO or Legal Department’s guidance. “That is a choice that we made as a city council and as a state. We made that choice by passing Keep Washington Working and the resolution.”
The Center Square contacted the DOJ with questions about whether Washington state’s appearance on the sanctuary jurisdiction list could impact cities like Spokane, which are not explicitly mentioned. The senior media affairs manager responded with links to the DOJ list, criteria and Trump’s executive order.
City Spokeswoman Erin Hut told The Center Square that Mayor Lisa Brown isn’t aware of any notice or communications from the government about sanctuary city/state cuts that Trump mentioned Tuesday.
Earlier this week, Trump also cut nearly $2 billion in funding for mental health and addiction programs, a move the administration walked back the next day. Hut said the city doesn’t receive those grants, but local service providers do, so the mayor met with some on Thursday to “get an idea of the impacts.”
The Center Square followed up on Friday, asking whether there were any meetings regarding potential sanctuary city cuts or if it came up in other conversations, but did not receive an immediate response.
“I have not discussed the specific threat to withdraw funding from sanctuary cities. It is our understanding there is no specific federal definition of the term,” Brown wrote in a statement after publishing. “We are concerned that the Administration has already pulled over 50 million dollars from our City this term, including the region’s tech hub and our resiliency grant with Gonzaga University. We are vigilant in working to ensure that the City’s laws and policies and are compliant with state and federal laws.”
The Center Square contacted the AGO to ask whether the state believes its inclusion on the sanctuary list could affect Spokane and other cities not included, and if Trump notified the AGO of potential cuts.
Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, like his predecessor, Gov. Bob Ferguson, has already sued the Trump administration dozens of times in the last year, filing injunctions against other funding cuts.
Deputy Communications Director Mike Faulk said The Center Square’s AGO questions would be better for the federal government. Trump didn’t specify which funding would be affected in his comments, so it’s unclear which programs he wants to cut funding for, and Faulk said the AGO wasn’t notified either.
“They’ve spent the last year threatening states that don’t conform to the administration’s political agenda,” Faulk said, citing Brown’s win this past week over $1 billion in transportation funding. “Any actions they’ve taken trying to tie federal funding to immigration enforcement have failed in the courts.”
If Trump is able to cut funding for sanctuary jurisdictions, it could affect Spokane, even if the cuts are not specifically targeted at the city. Spokane receives federal pass-through funding from the state, so if those programs are affected, Spokane and other cities that accept state funding could also see cuts.
The Center Square also contacted the White House with questions about which programs Trump wants to cut, the legal authority the administration would use to do so, and whether it would affect Spokane.
“President Trump is right — sanctuary cities are incredibly dangerous and put law-abiding Americans at risk,” White House Spokesman Abigail Jackson responded on Thursday in a statement. “The Trump Administration is currently considering a variety of lawful options to implement this policy.”
