SEATTLE — President Trump is vowing to cut federal payments to sanctuary states and cities in a matter of weeks.

The Department of Justice considers Washington a sanctuary jurisdiction and Seattle, a sanctuary city.

Washington leaders, including State Attorney General Nick Brown’s office, told KOMO News they are waiting on more specifics from the Trump administration. There are unanswered questions, including exactly what funding could be limited or stopped, and how.

“We’re not making any payments to sanctuary cities or states having sanctuary cities because they do everything possible to protect criminals at the expense of American citizens,” President Trump said in Detroit on Monday, claiming the funding would stop on Feb. 1.

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Seattle councilmembers in 2025 passed a resolution reaffirming the Emerald City as a welcoming city. The DOJ labeled Seattle and Washington as sanctuary jurisdictions that, in the department’s words, impede enforcement of federal immigration laws.

“Regardless of background, we want to be accessible and open and welcoming for all,” Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck told KOMO News upon hearing of the president’s statement Monday.

Seattle gets approximately $120 million from the federal government for critical programs like transportation, senior services, nutrition, and housing resources, and it remains unclear what exactly could be cut under the president’s claim.

“I look forward to talking to City Attorney [Erika] Evans to assess the legality of something like this, but of course, legal or not, the impact is there – the message this sends to our residents,” Rinck explained.

Rinck chairs a committee that helps the city identify changes in federal policy that could threaten city funding. She said it will meet in March to discuss next steps.

Hour by hour, there’s a new headline about some new policy change that will have an impact on our work in the city of Seattle, so as we’re planning the agenda for this year, we were planning on taking up some topics related to immigration enforcement,” she stated. “We’re continuing to take the issue of funding and how we keep our services in the city of Seattle.

In August, a judge blocked the Trump Administration from denying funding to more than 30 cities for policies that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

“Seattle and countless other cities have already successfully challenged similar directives in court,” Seattle City Attorney Erika Evans wrote to KOMO on Tuesday in response to the president’s latest statement. “A federal judge’s injunction prohibiting President Trump’s previous attempt to starve and impoverish people for making policy decisions he dislikes still stands. The City will continue to defend the rule of law and advocate for its legal right to be a welcoming place for all people.”

“Previous attempts they’ve made to make federal funding contingent on state immigration enforcement have sparked several of our lawsuits against the administration for illegally withholding or canceling grants, and so far they have lost at every turn,” AG Brown’s office added.

KOMO News reached out to Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson and Gov. Bob Ferguson about the threat to these funding streams, but did not get a response as of news time.

“The Washington state government and the City of Seattle already have budget problems that aren’t related in any way to decisions made in DC. If the current governor and mayor propose more responsible budgets, Olympia and Seattle will be able to absorb any changes coming out of the other Washington,” Washington State Republican Party Chairman Jim Walsh told KOMO News on Tuesday. “In the meantime, those of us with cooler heads and more experience will make sure Washington’s and Seattle’s essential functions and projects proceed.”