The Justice Department has launched a new effort to restore American cities. The effort, called the Model Cities Initiative (MCI), directs nearly $300 million in federal funding to “transform public safety in America’s cities,” the DOJ explained. Two to four cities will be selected to receive awards supporting strategies to reduce crime, restore law and order, and bolster public safety.
“This administration is leveraging every authority to ensure the safety of all Americans,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said of the effort. “The Model Cities Initiative will supercharge our law enforcement partners and restore the rule of law to America’s neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Our message is clear: We will help those who help us Make America Safe Again.”
Investments for the endeavor include those addressing safety, behavioral health, staffing, equipment, and other areas. The initiative’s “whole-of-city” approach requires city leaders such as the mayor, sheriff, county prosecutor, and others to work together to submit one application that proposes a vision of how the federal funds can be awarded to benefit the city and improve its services and safety.
President Trump released a video statement on the effort.
“From the very first day I took office, our administration has waged the most successful war on crime in American history,” he said, detailing falling murder rates and fentanyl seizures. “At my direction, the Department of Justice is beginning what we’re calling the ‘Model Cities Initiative’ to slash violent crime in major metropolitan areas all across our country,” Trump added.
The initiative comes the same week that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a plan to address homelessness in U.S. cities.
