Senator Charles Schumer claims that under President Trump’s proposed “skinny budget,” the New York Police Department (NYPD) could lose almost $200 million in funding for anti-terror and disaster response efforts.
Police respond to some 38 million alarm activation calls annually, but the NYPD must also contend with expensive anti-terrorism initiatives (not to mention the costs of protecting Trump Tower). Schumer called Trump’s proposed budget — and the implications it holds for the NYPD — a “punch in the gut.”
Although Schumer may be trying to score some political points again the president, he isn’t alone in his anti-budget sentiments, either. NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio both issued public statements expressing their feelings toward the issue.
“I want to ask President Trump to come back to New York City and talk to the people hurt by his budget,” de Blasio said on Twitter.
New York has been the victim of more than 20 terror plots since 2002, and 20 of those plots were stopped in their tracks by NYPD’s anti-terror division. Foiled plots included plans to attack the Brooklyn Bridge, the Federal Reserve Bank, and even Times Square.
O’Neill has stressed just how crucial this funding is to keeping NYC residents and thousands of tourists safe. He also took to Twitter to vent about the proposed budget.
“This funding … is the backbone of our entire counterterrorism apparatus … and enables us to do what we can do to keep the city secure,” he wrote.
The city currently spends $100,000 a day in Trump Tower security when the President isn’t in Manhattan. When Trump is in his Fifth Ave. residence, it costs the city around $300,000 a day to keep him and the rest of the First Family safe.
Officials report the city spent a total of $24 million during Trump’s presidential transition and has only been reimbursed for about a third of what it has paid.
In addition to cutting federal funds for the NYPD, Trump’s proposed budget would mean that other areas like housing, schools, and transportation would potentially lose a significant amount of funding.
The city’s infrastructure would take a major blow under the proposed budget. Mayor de Blasio, as well as Schumer and other representatives from the area, have pledged to oppose the potential budget cuts.
