Fox News: Pritzker says ‘action will be met with a response’ after Trump threatens to send National Guard to Chicago

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker says the state will not let the federal government ‘intimidate Chicagoans’

Illinois’ Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said the state “will not stand idly by” if President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to deploy the National Guard to Chicago to respond to crime in the Windy City.

“Unlike Donald Trump, we keep our promises,” the governor wrote Wednesday on X. “We will not stand idly by if he decides to send the National Guard to intimidate Chicagoans.”

“Action will be met with a response,” he continued.

Pritzker’s comments are just the latest in his recent feud with Trump, as the federal government weighs whether to send troops to Chicago.Last week, the governor said there is no crime emergency in Chicago and Trump is “attempting to manufacture a crisis, politicize Americans who serve in uniform, and continue abusing his power to distract from the pain he is causing working families.”

“The safety of the people of Illinois is always my top priority,” Pritzker said on Saturday. “There is no emergency that warrants the President of the United States federalizing the Illinois National Guard, deploying the National Guard from other states, or sending active duty military within our own borders. We will continue to follow the law, stand up for the sovereignty of our state, and protect the people of Illinois.”

On Monday, Pritzker said the potential federal deployment is “unconstitutional” and “un-American.”

“Donald Trump wants to use the military to occupy a U.S. city, punish its dissidents and score political points,” he said. “If this were happening in any other country, we would have no trouble calling it what it is — a dangerous power grab.”

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, also a Democrat, has cited data showing that violent crime has declined in the last year, including homicides and robberies dipping by more than 30%, and shootings dropping by nearly 40%. Although, crime is still up compared to 2021, according to statistics posted by Chicago police.

“The problem with the President’s approach is that it is uncoordinated, uncalled for, and unsound,” Johnson said on Friday. “Unlawfully deploying the National Guard to Chicago has the potential to inflame tensions between residents and law enforcement when we know that trust between police and residents is foundational to building safer communities.”

“When we fight back against tyranny, the people united will always prevail,” the mayor later said.

Other Illinois leaders have also made criticisms of the potential move to send troops to Chicago.

Trump responded to Pritzker and Johnson on Tuesday, writing in a social media post that the governor is “incompetent” and the mayor is “no better.”

“A really DEADLY weekend in Chicago,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “6 DEAD, 27 HURT IN CRIME SPREES ALLOVER THE CITY. Panic stricken Governor Pritzker says that crime is under control, when in fact it is just the opposite. He is an incompetent Governor who should call me for HELP. Mayor Johnson is no better. Make Chicago Great Again!”

This comes after Trump’s move to boost the presence of federal law enforcement in Washington, D.C., in an attempt to reduce crime. 

Hundreds of federal agents and National Guard troops have been deployed to the streets of D.C. as part of the federal takeover of the district.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/pritzker-says-action-met-response-after-trump-threatens-send-national-guard-chicago

Fox News: Trump admin cutting $20M in DC security funding after federal law enforcement ordered to increase presence

‘If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take federal control of the city,’ Trump said

The Trump administration plans to cut millions in security funding for Washington, D.C., despite the president also directing federal law enforcement to increase its presence in the city because of its “totally out of control” crime.

In a grant notice posted last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that D.C.’s urban security fund would receive $25.2 million, a 44% year-over-year reduction.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said on Friday it slashed funds to multiple cities to be consistent with the “current threat landscape.” Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Jersey City also had their security funds cut, but the decrease in D.C. was the largest for any urban area that received funding from the program last fiscal year.

DHS has “observed a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to simpler, small-scale assaults, heightening the vulnerability of soft targets and crowded spaces in urban areas.”

Violent crime in D.C. dropped by 35% between 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. said in December, stating that there were 3,388 incidents last year compared to 5,215 incidents the year before.

Crimes that saw significant drops last year included homicide, which was down 30%, sexual abuse down 22% and assault with a dangerous weapon down 27%. Robberries and burglaries slightly dropped to 8% for both.

The federal funding covers security needs in the National Capital Region, which includes D.C. and surrounding cities in Maryland and Virginia.

FEMA has $553.5 million to spend to support cities across the U.S. to boost security. It is unclear how much of the National Capital Region’s total security budget comes from that program.

In the past, local officials have used federal funds for hazmat training, hiring officers and replacing fiber in their emergency communications network, according to a 2016 report from D.C.’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

On Thursday, Trump directed federal law enforcement to increase their presence in the nation’s capital, following a string of violent crimes, including an incident in which former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, nicknamed “Big Balls”, was beaten in the city’s streets earlier this week.

“Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Local ‘youths’ and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it’s going to happen now!”

The president said that the nation’s capital “must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see.”

“If D.C. doesn’t get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they’re not going to get away with it anymore,” he continued. “Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime.”

So King Donald and his suck-ups are whining about crime in D.C. (which has actually been decreasing significantly!) while they cut security funding for D.C.? Go figure!

https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-admin-cutting-20m-dc-security-funding-federal-law-enforcement-ordered-increase-presence