In a speech delivered from the White House, President Donald Trump asked the nation’s mayors for cooperation.
As part of the United States Conference of Mayors’ 88th Winter Meeting in Washington, Trump spoke to a gathering of mayors on Jan. 24 in a crowded East Room.
He spoke about the recent progress made in trade deal negotiations, reduction of national unemployment rates, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s efforts in removing MS-13 gang members from the country.
Trump also acknowledged that further work is necessary to increase safety in cities and local communities. The opioid crisis is another issue that has seen some progress but still requires continual attention, he said.
He also emphasized the need to improve cooperation between local and federal governments in the areas of law enforcement and public safety.
“I urge all of you here today to cooperate fully with federal law enforcement. We’re all on the same team. I think that’s the biggest point; we’re all on the same team. We want to have safety,” said Trump.
“And, you—some have sanctuary cities, but even if you do have sanctuary cities, we want to be able to work together, because tremendous differences in crime numbers can happen, and it has been happening.”
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Before the meeting with Trump, the United States Conference of Mayors held a 3-day conference to discuss their goals and visions for the United States in 2020. Participating mayors held panels during which they discussed various issues, including infrastructure, healthcare, immigration, safety, jobs, gun control, and more.
Contrasting with Trump’s emphasis on the need for local and federal government cooperation, many mayors cited a lack of dependability and partnership from the federal government.
“We continue to have frustration from the lack of partnership we see from this city [Washington, D.C.]. We continue to call for action around gun violence prevention, around opioid epidemics, around vast inequality in our communities,” said Whaley.
Bryan Barnett, mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, and president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, stated that the mayors have collaborated on a plan for America’s future, “centered around our three I’s of infrastructure, innovation, and inclusion.”
Given the emphasis on infrastructure throughout the mayors’ press conference, a member of the press questioned the mayors about the tax and cost concerns that come with infrastructure and where the funding would come from for such large-scale projects.
“Here’s the deal, we never want that [cost] to end the discussion, because we know that there’s a very complicated answer to some of those things. But what I would tell you is that the men and women behind me have implemented local solutions to many of these [problems] by finding innovative ways to fund many of these initiatives,” Barnett said.
The United States Conference of Mayors’ 88th Winter Meeting was held from Jan. 22 to 24.
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