States, cities that refuse to enforce cash bail could lose federal funding

President Donald Trump, convicted on 34 felony counts, has remained free with the very product of America’s cash bail system that, for decades, has spared wealthy defendants from jail, while trapping the poor behind bars.

Now, he is working to end cashless bail reforms across the country.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order threatening to strip federal funding from states and cities that refuse to enforce cash bail. A separate directive will allow Washington, D.C., defendants to be charged under federal statutes to avoid the city’s long-standing bail reforms.

“As president, I will require commonsense policies that protect Americans’ safety and well-being by incarcerating individuals who are known threats,” the president wrote in an executive order. “It is therefore the policy of