The murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte train platform has ignited a legislative firestorm that could fundamentally reshape how America’s cities approach law and order. Rep. Mark Harris (R-NC) isn’t just offering thoughts and prayers—he’s delivering a constitutional sledgehammer to the progressive prosecutors and city councils who’ve turned American streets into hunting grounds for career criminals.
Harris’s twin legislative package represents the kind of federalism-respecting, results-oriented governance that Ronald Reagan would applaud. The No Funding for Lawless Jurisdictions Act cuts federal COPS and JAG funding to any jurisdiction embracing cashless bail or defunding police departments, while the Cashless Bail Reporting Act creates a quarterly “hall of shame” database that will give voters the ammunition they need to clean house in local elections.
The Charlotte tragedy perfectly illustrates why this federal intervention is both necessary and overdue. Decarlos Brown Jr., the alleged killer, was walking free despite accumulating 14 prior charges—a living testament to the catastrophic failure of progressive criminal justice experiments that prioritize ideology over innocent lives. When a Ukrainian refugee fleeing war dies on American soil because our own justice system refused to protect her, we’ve crossed a line that demands federal action.
What makes Harris’s approach particularly brilliant is its constitutional framework. Rather than federal mandates that would trigger Tenth Amendment challenges, these bills use the time-tested Reagan model of conditional spending. Cities can still embrace their soft-on-crime fantasies—they just can’t expect hardworking American taxpayers to subsidize the chaos. It’s federalism with teeth, respecting state sovereignty while protecting national interests.
The political mathematics are equally compelling. With 11 cosponsors spanning multiple states and 29,000 petition signatures demanding judicial accountability, Harris has assembled the kind of bipartisan coalition that transforms local tragedies into national policy momentum. The coordinated rollout with a House Judiciary field hearing in Charlotte demonstrates the sophisticated political warfare that America First candidates must master to dismantle decades of progressive institutional capture.
This legislation also exposes the fundamental hypocrisy of the globalist establishment’s immigration narrative. While they virtue-signal about welcoming refugees and immigrants, their policies create the lawless conditions that make those same vulnerable populations prime targets for predators. Iryna Zarutska didn’t flee Ukrainian bombs only to die from American judicial negligence—yet that’s exactly what progressive prosecutors delivered.
The economic implications extend far beyond federal funding cuts. Cities hemorrhaging businesses and residents due to rising crime will face a stark choice: continue their ideological experiments while losing federal support, or return to the proven law-and-order policies that built America’s great urban centers. Market forces and federal pressure working in tandem—it’s the kind of policy synergy that delivers real results rather than empty rhetoric.
Perhaps most importantly, this legislative package provides a template for America First governance that respects constitutional boundaries while advancing national priorities. It demonstrates how conservatives can use existing federal mechanisms to encourage local compliance with common-sense policies, building the Reagan coalition’s successful model for the modern era.
The timing couldn’t be more perfect as we approach the 2026 midterms. GOP candidates nationwide now have concrete legislation to point to when voters demand action on crime and public safety. Meanwhile, Democrats face the impossible task of explaining why they oppose cutting funding to jurisdictions that release career criminals onto American streets.
Patriots should watch closely as this legislation moves through committee. It represents the kind of intelligent, constitutionally-grounded policy-making that can rebuild American cities while demonstrating that America First principles protect everyone who follows our laws—regardless of their country of origin. When federal policy finally aligns with common sense, remarkable things become possible.
