Overview

• President Trump has threatened to withhold up to $3.5 billion in federal funding from Chicago and other sanctuary cities, including $1.3 billion for Chicago Public Schools.
• Mayor Brandon Johnson denounced the funding threats as tactics akin to terrorism, accusing Trump of holding tax dollars hostage to force compliance.
• Johnson invited Trump to meet at Chicago City Hall but rejected the notion of making concessions, stating, 'We’re not going to negotiate with terrorists.'
• The Trump administration's broader policy targets sanctuary cities through an executive order withholding funds from jurisdictions with sanctuary policies.
• Johnson criticized Trump’s economic policies as favoring the ultra-rich, asserting that the funding cuts are a direct attack on working people and public institutions.