According to a June 22, 2026 article on the CNN website, new rules for obtaining Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding threaten to remove funds from states.
According to the article:
Under new rules governing several homeland security grant programs, states must take a number of steps, including phasing out certain electronic voting systems and moving to hand-marked paper ballots. They must also run their voter rolls through a controversial Department of Homeland Security citizenship verification database. If not, states would lose out on some funding from DHS.
Source:
Cohen Gabe; Sneed, Tierney. (June 22, 2026). "Exclusive: Trump administration plans to use homeland security funds to pressure states into election changes". CNN. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
Democracy Docket published an article entitled "Election chiefs say 'desperate' Trump DHS plan to blackmail states into purging voters 'endangers American lives'" which further explains the new rules.
More:
Commentary:
On August 12, 2025 I posted an HWR article entitled "Op-Ed | Donald Trump is the Most Egregious Con-Man and Extortionist in the History of U.S Politics". In that article I describe in detail how Trump has used extortion in an attempt to get capitulation from a long list of entities including other countries, companies, law firms, universities, major media outlets, sanctuary cities, and professional sports organizations. Now, we can add U.S. states to that list.
As the CNN article states, the new rules will most likely be challenged in court, and those challenges will most likely be successful.
I suspect that Trump's newly-appointed Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin might be the driving force behind these new rules. Mullin, of course, is just another "mini-Trump" sycophant who is in lockstep with Trump.
The way Trump and his administration has used extortion is so far beyond egregious it's hard to put into words.
The best way I can describe it is "B-squared F" (beyond, beyond FUBAR).