WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Monday to eliminate cashless bail for suspects arrested in Washington, D.C., senior White House officials said.
The official said that if the district does not terminate the policy, an executive order could threaten withhold federal funds or government-backed project approvals, which allows people to release people awaiting trial without paying bail.
The order will also require law enforcement to work to ensure that those arrested in Washington, D.C. are taken into federal custody rather than local custody, the official said.
A spokesperson for Mayor Muriel Bowser's office declined to comment on NBC News.
The executive order for the program was first reported by Axios, marking the latest step in Trump's expansion of the administration's control over capital. This is a struggle to combat crime following a controversial move by the White House, deploying and arming the National Guard efforts. However, it is unnecessary for critics to criticize the government's handling.
They believe that cash bail disproportionately hurts low-income people, and they may have a hard time ensuring that the money is released from prison.
However, Trump criticized the practice, saying earlier this month it was a “disaster” that caused “so many problems we've never had.”
“So they're looking at us today if they don't understand their lessons, if they haven't studied us properly, because we're going to be very successful,” Trump said of other cities in early August.
DC has established a cashless bail system since 1992. This policy means that a judge decides whether a risk to others or the community as a whole, or releases bail in connection with that person’s freedom without currency, or poses a risk of flight. If the judge makes any decision, they can choose to detain the defendant in a detention center before trial.
The Washington, D.C. Council expanded its pretrial detention policy in July as part of the city's own security measures.
The expected executive order is to start carrying a gun on Sunday night. Also on the weekend, Trump threatened to deploy troops to Baltimore. Just a few days ago, he floated the National Guard to Chicago and New York.
Trump's focus on how capital works is significantly different from previous administrations. He enacted a comprehensive change by influx of National Guard and Federal agents into the city, prompting law enforcement agencies to clear homeless camps and restore the Alliance Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery.
Last week, Trump also announced that he ordered lawyers to review the Smithsonian Museum, believing that these legendary museums are not positive enough for our history, “all about it is how terrible our country is, how bad slavery is, how bad slavery is, and in the absence of devastating people.”