The November 10 awards aim to expand policing and prosecution capacity in the two cities. They are part of a previously announced package of nearly $300 million for four jurisdictions.
The White House announced more than $60 million each for St Louis, Missouri, and Jackson, Mississippi, on 10 November, saying the money would expand the cities’ capacity for policing and prosecutions under the Model Cities Initiative.
The awards are part of nearly $300 million already allocated to four jurisdictions, not a separate package. The Justice Department announced the selection of St Louis, Jackson, Jacksonville, Florida, and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, on 30 October 2026, after launching the initiative in June 2026.
Attorney General Todd Blanche presented a check for more than $68 million for St Louis, KMOX said. On 9 November, Blanche said the funds would pay for improvements to the city’s real-time crime center, recruitment incentives and replacement of a radio tower used by first responders.
The Justice Department identified the St Louis Police Department and the City of Jackson as the respective funded bodies. Across the initiative, it said priorities include hiring personnel, adopting new and improved technology, buying equipment and improving forensic capacity, as well as services addressing mental health, substance use and repeat offending.
KMOX described concerns that accepting the St Louis funds could allow the Justice Department to direct the police department. Blanche rejected the idea that the money came with strings attached, calling it a partnership. Police Chief Robert Tracy also rejected concerns about federal control, saying federal agencies in earlier joint operations followed his department’s strategies.
President Donald Trump and his supporters have credited their policies with falling violent crime, but the decline began before his return to office and has occurred in cities with different criminal justice approaches,
Niger’s authorities and host communities are providing land for temporary shelter, the UN Refugee Agency says. Nearly 64,000 people have arrived from northern Nigeria this year, while limited registration and shortages of water, shelter and other services leave new arrivals in need of assistance.
The Justice Department said it designed the initiative to build on what it called early successes in reducing crime and disorder in Memphis and Washington, DC. The Memphis operation involved a separate deployment of federal agencies.
The Justice Department said it will work with each selected jurisdiction to finalize and carry out its public safety plan.
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The law lets the National Taxpayer Advocate appoint legal counsel reporting to the advocate or a delegate and expands personnel authority over Taxpayer Advocate Service employees.
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The White House said the law modifies payment rules for certain wheelchairs; an advocacy group says provisions affecting ultralightweight manual models take effect in 2028.
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