Liberal US Mayors Join European Pact to Counter National Governments

Ten mayors from major US cities including Chicago, Boston, San Antonio and Cincinnati have joined the Pact of Free Cities, an alliance originally formed by mayors in Bratislava, Budapest, Prague and Warsaw. The group held its annual meeting last week in Bratislava, Slovakia, where participants discussed strategies for managing disputes with their national governments over funding, policy priorities and local autonomy.

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval said the decision stemmed from actions by the Trump administration that he believes have strained democratic institutions and relations with European partners. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony described how his city responded when Hungary's former government attempted to ban the annual Pride parade: officials reframed the event around free speech and assembly, drew large crowds, and used the episode to highlight broader governance issues. Hungarian voters removed Prime Minister Viktor Orbán from office last month after 16 years.

Beaverton, Oregon, Mayor Lacey Beaty attended the meeting and noted that several cities face federal funding reductions tied to local policies such as diversity, equity and inclusion programs. She cited an attempt to cut support for Beaverton after it declined to end its DEI policy. Karácsony recounted similar pressure in Budapest, where the national government threatened municipal services including trash collection; the city responded by placing signs on garbage trucks that attributed service risks directly to the ruling party.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the mayors would better serve residents by focusing on local safety and security rather than international meetings. Conservative Political Action Conference Chairman Matt Schlapp observed that US cities confront distinct challenges such as violent crime and homelessness, while noting that organizing across borders can help build grassroots support.

The Pact of Free Cities was established in 2019. Its members now include more than forty municipalities that exchange approaches for preserving local authority when national policies conflict with city priorities.