Seattle – Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell released the below statement after the federal court granted the City a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit initiated by Mayor Harrell, City Attorney Ann Davison, and the City of Seattle. While the Trump administration has attempted to unlawfully withhold millions in federal funds to the City because of Seattle’s efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion and support LGBTQ+ communities, this ruling determined that Trump’s actions were unconstitutional. This builds on Seattle’s previous legal victories against the Trump administration, including a lawsuit over funding threats related to Seattle’s status as a welcoming city.
Read Mayor Harrell’s statement below:
“Today’s ruling is a major victory for the city, for our communities, and for our values. In our words, in our actions, and now again in the courts, we’ve made clear that Trump will not – and cannot – bully us into changing who we are and what we stand for. The Court today affirmed what we’ve known from the beginning – Trump’s brutish threats and backwards policies are as unconstitutional as they are just plain wrong.
“Our committed fight puts Seattle at the forefront of taking on the Trump administration and standing with and strongly in support of our immigrant and LGBTQ+ communities. Trump can keep trying to erase the letters DEI and LGBTQ from the alphabet, but under no circumstances will we let him succeed. Seattle values are American values, and we will continue to relentlessly defend our people and our principles from Trump’s attacks.”
Seattle receives millions in federal funding every year to support important priorities like public safety, health, housing, transportation, infrastructure, and more. Beginning January 1, 2025, Seattle has legal and appropriations authority to spend up to $396 million in federal grant funds, including approximately $256 million dollars in federal grant funds from the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Transportation, and Department of Housing and Urban Development.
The threatened loss of these federal grants would greatly impact the essential programs and services that Seattle residents rely upon. There are strong constitutional protections that limit the federal government’s ability to coerce cities by conditioning funds.
Seattle has multiple programs and initiatives aimed at eliminating historical racial and gender disparities and achieving equity, including the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), the Priority Hire program, the Equitable Development Initiative, and Women and Minority-Owned Businesses (WMBE) program. Mayor Harrell has made clear there is nothing wrong with the City working to create a more equitable and just society.
Since President Trump’s return to office, Mayor Harrell has advanced multiple legal and legislative efforts to protect residents from unlawful federal actions and funding cuts. This includes yesterday’s issuance of a limited civil emergency proclamation to provide $8 million in food assistance as Trump and congressional republicans’ government shutdown threatens SNAP funding, building on a $500,000 investment to support WIC funding earlier this month alongside King County.
The mayor recently issued two Executive Orders and proposed new legislation to ban Trump’s obstructive face coverings for law enforcement and to prevent ICE staging on City property.
Additional efforts include a lawsuit challenging threats to cities with sanctuary policies and a lawsuit over frozen counterterrorism funds through the Securing the Cities program.
To protect critical investments in human services from Trump’s funding cuts, Mayor Harrell and Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck announced a proposal to raise $80 million in revenue to protect investments in human services, which is currently in front of voters. Additionally, the mayor signed legislation in the spring that strengthens local protections for people seeking gender-affirming and reproductive health care to support the LGBTQIA+ community in response to federal actions.