Pam Bondi, a longtime Trump ally and former Florida attorney general, enacted unprecedented changes at the Department of Justice on February 5, 2025, hours after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas swore her in at the White House.
Bondi, 59, whose Senate confirmation passed 54-46 on February 4, began issuing directives by 2:00 p.m., marking the most aggressive first-day agenda of any attorney general in recent history. Her primary order halted federal funding to sanctuary jurisdictions that limit cooperation with immigration authorities.
“The Department of Justice will ensure that consistent with law, ‘sanctuary jurisdictions’ do not receive access to Federal funds from the Department,” Bondi’s first-day memo states. “Consistent with applicable statutes, regulations, court orders, and terms, the Department of Justice shall pause the distribution of all funds until a review has been completed.”
The sanctuary cities directive impacts major metropolitan areas, including New York City, which anticipates $8 billion in federal funding for fiscal 2025, along with Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., California, and Connecticut. The 60-day funding pause requires jurisdictions to demonstrate compliance with federal immigration enforcement by March 22.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) praised the move: “The idea that you would maintain a sanctuary city status and then cry out to the federal government for assistance in what you’ve done is, to me, unconscionable.”
Bondi’s relationship with Trump spans years, including her role defending him during his first impeachment trial in 2020. As a key member of his defense team, she argued that Trump’s Ukraine communications did not constitute impeachable offenses. She later served as a legal advisor and was integral to his 2016 presidential transition team.
As Florida’s attorney general (2011-2019), Bondi challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act before the Supreme Court and opposed same-sex marriage legalization. As Florida’s top prosecutor, she focused on targeting pill mills and synthetic drug operations while also pursuing consumer protection cases.
By 5:00 p.m. on her first day as U.S. Attorney General, Bondi had issued 14 directives, including creating a “Weaponization Working Group” tasked with examining federal investigations since 2021. The group will review cases related to the January 6th Capitol attack and Trump prosecutions, with a mandate to identify instances of potential political motivation.
She reversed several Biden administration policies, lifting the moratorium on federal executions and directing prosecutors to pursue death penalty cases where eligible. Bondi established a joint task force on Hamas-related cases and antisemitism while ordering DOJ attorneys to “zealously defend” administration positions or face potential disciplinary action.
The funding pause to sanctuary jurisdictions echoes Trump’s previous attempt to withhold federal aid from cities he deemed too lenient on crime, including New York City, Seattle, and Portland—a policy Biden reversed in 2021. Current sanctuary city leaders warn the directive could disrupt essential services and public safety programs.