Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) encouraged the incoming Trump administration to withhold funding to states and cities that choose not to cooperate with President-elect Donald Trump’s planned deportations, as states need to “comply with constitutional obligations.”
Several officials and mayors of sanctuary cities for illegal immigrants have vowed to oppose Trump’s deportation efforts once the president-elect assumes office, including Tuscon Mayor Regina Romero in Arizona, a state Trump won by “nearly 200,000 votes.” Biggs argued that border security was “the top issue” for voters in this election and predicted the incoming administration would utilize the Justice Department, which would “go after” officials working against Trump’s deportations.
The Arizona lawmaker was also asked about the proposition of Trump withholding federal grants to sanctuary cities, to which he contended the president-elect should do this since “money talks.”
“It is the No. 1 leverage point that the federal government has, and we are still a federalist government,” Biggs said on Fox News’s The Faulkner Focus, guest-hosted by Aishah Hasnie. “And so that means that we respect the states, but they have to comply with constitutional obligations and laws that we pass, and this is one, and they’re violating it, and some money will be the leverage point, I believe, for the Trump administration and this Congress going in against these states that want to violate the law.”
Deportations for illegal immigrants have been pushed by Trump and his border czar nominee, Tom Homan, in the wake of the 2024 election. Biggs echoed this call for funds to be withheld from state officials seeking to oppose Trump and Homan on X.
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Biggs was also asked about the vote to confirm House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), during which he said he wants to speak with Johnson “just to see what his plans are.” It comes right after Trump gave his endorsement to the House speaker ahead of the vote this Friday.
As of Monday afternoon, the only Republican who has confirmed he will not vote to confirm Johnson as speaker is Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who warned that Johnson is “the next Paul Ryan.” Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) has not yet stated if she will support Johnson but contended that the speaker “is not actually willing to commit to do his constitutional duty.”
