President Donald Trump reportedly plans to sign an executive order Monday aimed at eliminating “cashless bail” for arrested suspects in Washington, D.C.
The order marks the latest step in Trump’s federal takeover of the capital’s law enforcement, which has already deployed thousands of federal agents and National Guard troops across the city.
A White House official told Axios the measure could threaten to withhold federal funding or government-backed projects if D.C. does not end its cashless-bail policy. The order will also direct law enforcement to seek federal custody for arrestees rather than local detention.
D.C. abolished cash bail in the 1990s, one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to do so. Under the city’s system, judges decide release based on whether a defendant poses a flight or safety risk. Conservatives, led by Trump, argue the practice lets dangerous suspects back on the streets, while critics of cash bail say it unfairly punishes low-income defendants and has little proven link to crime rates.
