New York leaders accuse Trump of 'defunding the police' in counterterror funding fight
Gov. Kathy Hochul held a news conference on Tuesday, where she said the state and city are asking the Department of Homeland security to distribute the $87 million of promised funding for the state's counterterrorism operations.
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Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani are sending an urgent message to Washington: restore counterterrorism funding to New York state.
Hochul held a news conference on Tuesday, where she said the state and city are asking the Department of Homeland security to distribute the $87 million of promised funding for the state's counterterrorism operations.
"Donald Trump is defunding the police," Gov. Hochul said during a joint news conference with Mayor Mamdani on Tuesday.
Hochul argued the state is still waiting on the check that she says President Trump promised to restore back in October.
"I am pleased to advise that I reversed the cuts made to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for New York City and State. It was my Honor to do so,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
State and city leaders say the money helps pay for the 12 bomb squads across the state, specialized training and equipment for the FDNY, including hazmat and search and rescue operations, deploying the National Guard in the subways and the personnel responsible for detecting and responding to terror threats in one of the nation's top targets.
"If you don't release the counterterrorism funding, you are betraying every family that lost someone on 9/11, you are betraying every police officer and firefighter who puts their lives on the line everyday," said Hochul.
The New York City Office of Emergency Management says over 100 of its staff members are funded through the Urban Security Initiatives grant. A federal grant program that is managed by FEMA. The money helps provide funding to boost security and preparedness in high-density areas.
"There is no excuse for the federal government to leave the nations largest city to shoulder this burden alone," said Mayor Mamdani.
The Trump administration is pushing back, saying the governor is manufacturing a funding crisis. A spokesperson from FEMA told News 12 in a statement that New York is currently sitting on more than $300 million in unspent homeland security funding and is slated to get $200 million in grant funding later this month from hosting the FIFA world cup.
“Instead of falsely accusing President Trump of defunding law enforcement, Gov. Hochul and Mayor Mamdani should answer a much simpler question: Why is New York and NYC demanding even more taxpayer money when it has failed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars already provided to protect its communities?" a FEMA spokesperson said.
The governor says conversations will continue behind the scenes with DHS.
