President Donald Trump’s administration has reversed $187 million in cuts to counterterrorism and security funding for police departments and programs in New York state.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Friday it was restoring “full funding” of New York’s grants under a program established after 9/11 to bolster efforts to thwart terrorism attacks and security threats throughout the country.
The announcement came after a week of pushback from Gov. Kathy Hochul and members of the state’s Republican House delegation, who argued the funding cut would put New Yorkers at risk of attack.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is part of DHS and administers the Homeland Security Grant Program, announced its reversal in a statement Friday, which said it would be restoring full funding of the state’s share to ensure it can combat security threats.
Hochul publicly raised alarm about the cuts on Monday, when she sent a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem noting they would amount to a 86% drop in the state’s share of the counterterrorism funding despite New York City remaining a major target for terrorists.
Hochul said Friday she was glad “President Trump heard our call and reversed course.”
“Because of our efforts, $187 million in critical funding will be restored — a victory for public safety and for every New Yorker who depends on our brave law enforcement and first responders to keep our state secure,” she said.
In a statement earlier in the week, DHS defended its decision to change up the funding allocation, arguing that New York City had received 30% of the program’s funding since its establishment and that the changes would make the system “more effective and accountable, moving away from the fraud, waste and abuse of the past.”
Hochul and Trump spoke about the cuts by phone on Sunday, and Trump had not been aware of them before, according to The New York Times, which first reported the federal reversal Friday.
The cuts drew a lawsuit from 10 states and Washington D.C. earlier this week, which led a federal judge in Rhode Island to issue a temporary restraining order blocking DHS from distributing the funding under the new formula for the time being.
