In the escalation of demonstrations, Republican Representative Nancy Mace advocates for discontinuing financial support for cities perceived as lawless.
Updated June 12, 2025 at 1:31 PM CDT
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is pushing to pull every last cent from cities she deems lawless in the face of chaos. This comes after protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles.
"If your city takes the side of rioters or defunds the police or rejects help from the administration, we've got rules for that — we call it lawlessness," Mace told Morning Edition.
The city of angels has spent another sleepless night under curfew, though things have simmered down compared to recent days when people took to the streets in response to stepped-up immigration enforcement. In a swift reaction to the protests, Trump signed a memo and ordered thousands of National Guard troops, plus the Marines, to LA. The troops were tasked with protecting federal facilities, ICE, and other U.S. government personnel, as stated by the administration.
Protests have spread like wildfire, engulfing cities like Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Congress the administration intends to stand ready to send the National Guard elsewhere if needed.
Trump deploying troops to Los Angeles didn't sit well with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta, who responded by filing a lawsuit against the Trump administration.
"This is an illegal act. It's immoral. It's unconstitutional," Newsom told All Things Considered. "The mobilization order that was sent to the guard has a clause that requires it to be issued through the governors of states."
Mace's bill, dubbed the Lawless Cities Accountability Act, introduced this week, collaboratively with Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, aims to block federal funding for local officials in cities deemed lawless due to ongoing unrest or failure to enforce laws. Additionally, it grants the federal government, likely the U.S. attorney general and the administration, authority to determine which cities qualify as lawless.
Mace sat down with NPR's Steve Inskeep to talk about her bill and the ongoing protests in Los Angeles.
The following exchange has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
Interview Highlights
Steve Inskeep: I've given your proposition a read. The idea is simple: starve cities and states of funds if they block police from stopping riots or defund law enforcement or turn away federal assistance during widespread violence. Why is this necessary?
Rep. Nancy Mace: Let's be clear about what we saw in LA this weekend. Hundreds of cars were torched; there was a dead body on the streets amid massive looting; Antifa and Black Lives Matter were trying to burn down the city. We can't tolerate chaos. We must be a nation governed by laws, with people who follow them.
Note: A man's body was discovered in an area where protests occurred, and while the LAPD suspects it might be related to the protests or looting nearby, they haven't confirmed it, according to KTLA local news station.
Inskeep: Los Angeles authorities argue that they're in control of the situation. Is LA, then, in your opinion, a lawless city that should have its funds cut?
Mace: Last weekend, yes, but it seems things have calmed down lately. Los Angeles has organized protests, not violent riots, and they no longer seem to be causing harm to individuals or damaging their property. However, any destruction, no matter how minor, is still a violation and unacceptable.
Note: No deaths have been linked to this week's protests in LA, as reported by The Los Angeles Times.
Inskeep: You're essentially giving the attorney general authority to decide whether a city is lawless or a state is lawless. In essence, then, the president or his administration gets to decide what the term means.
Mace: Essentially, yes. The bill's parameters are clear: cities should avoid supporting rioters, defunding the police, or denying help from the administration, indicating lawlessness. But if chaos ensues in the streets, we need an effective means to tell cities to put an end to it.
Inskeep: It should come as no surprise that the president has faced allegations of lawlessness. Multiple judges, even those he appointed, have ruled against him for exceeding his authority, violating due process, and more. Do you think oversight might be necessary in his case?
Mace: I firmly support Donald Trump and don't feel he's gone too far. I believe he needs to act more aggressively, rather than being obstructed by those within agencies and departments who are working against him, including his executive orders.
Inskeep: You don't believe that anything he's done exceeds his presidential authority?
Mace: I stand with Trump 100%. He needs to push harder.
The story was edited by Obed Manuel.
Copyright 2025 NPR
- Rep. Nancy Mace's bill, the Lawless Cities Accountability Act, seeks to cut federal funding for local officials in cities deemed lawless due to ongoing unrest or failure to enforce laws, and grants the federal government authority to determine which cities qualify as lawless.
- In response to the deployment of troops to Los Angeles by President Trump, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming it to be an illegal and unconstitutional act.
- Protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles have led to an increased presence of National Guard troops and Marines, as denoted in a memo signed by President Trump.
- The city of Los Angeles has spent several sleepless nights under curfew due to protests and increased searches by the National Guard and Marines, while other cities like Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, and Philadelphia have also seen protests spread.
- In the face of ongoing war-and-conflicts, crime-and-justice, general-news, and policy-and-legislation, the sports and sports-betting sectors continue to evolve, offering a temporary escape from the challenges facing the nation.