July 21, 2025
Mr. Johnson of South Dakota (for himself, Mr. Babin, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Van Drew, Mr. Taylor, Mr. Van Orden, Mr. Harrigan, Ms. Tenney, Mr. McGuire, and Mr. McDowell) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
To prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from entering into, extending, or renewing a contract with, or awarding a grant to, a sanctuary city, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the No DOT Funds for Sanctuary Cities Act
.
Sec. 2. Prohibition on funding to sanctuary cities
(a) In general
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Transportation may not provide any grant, award, or Federal funds to any sanctuary city.
(b) Waiver
The Secretary may waive the prohibition under paragraph (1) on a case-by-case basis by submitting to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives, not later than 15 days before the applicable activity is carried out, a written certification that the activity to which the provision applies and for which a waiver will be provided is in the national interest of the United States.
(c) Sanctuary city defined
In this section, the term sanctuary city
means any State or political subdivision of a State that has in effect a statute, ordinance, policy, or practice that prohibits or restricts any government entity or official from—
(1)
sending, receiving, maintaining, or exchanging with any Federal, State, or local government entity information regarding the citizenship or immigration status (lawful or unlawful) of any individual; or
(2)
complying with a request lawfully made by the Department of Homeland Security under section 236 or 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1226 and 1357) to comply with a detainer for, or notify about the release of, an individual.