OLYMPIA, WA – Washington Governor Bob Ferguson has responded to a social media post by President Donald Trump that says he is working on an order to withhold federal funding from any city or state that has policies to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

Ferguson issued a statement on Thursday in response to a social media post by President Donald Trump threatening to “withhold all federal funding” from any state that has sanctuary policies.

“This is exactly the issue I talked about at my press conference nine days ago. We have a $16 billion budget shortfall, and are facing escalating threats from the federal government. Federal dollars make up 28 percent of our state’s budget — $43 billion per biennium. The threats to our federal funding are very real,” said Ferguson.

Washington state is considered a sanctuary state, with policies limiting local law enforcement’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement efforts. The Keep Washington Working Act, enacted in 2019, prohibits state and local agencies from inquiring about immigration status, except in criminal investigations, and from providing information to federal immigration officials.

“My team and I are working closely with the Attorney General’s Office to defend our state from unlawful federal actions. I am not going to allow the federal government to arbitrarily and unlawfully withhold funds that support individuals on Medicaid, our education system, child welfare, emergency relief and so much more,” added Ferguson.  “This statement from the president underscores the need to engage in serious planning now, while the Legislature is in session, to prepare for ongoing and significant threats to our federal funding.”