Hochul alleges DHS cut $187M from counterterrorism funding
The article reports that New York Governor Kathy Hochul has accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Trump administration of cutting $187 million-representing 87% of New York’s counterterrorism funding-without explanation or discretion. this important reduction impacts critical local agencies like the New York city Police and Fire Departments. When questioned, DHS staff cited a funding formula but refused to disclose the details behind the cuts. Hochul criticized the decision as politically motivated, emphasizing that counterterrorism is a federal responsibility and that New York, the country’s top terror target, deserves adequate protection. She demanded DHS secretary Kristi Noem restore the funding. The article also notes that New York’s complaints align with other states,such as New Jersey,which have filed lawsuits against DHS for similar abrupt funding cuts tied to resistance against Trump’s immigration policies. The coalition of attorneys general argues that these reductions jeopardize public safety and are partisan in nature.
Hochul alleges DHS cut $187M from counterterrorism funding with ‘no discretion’
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) on Monday alleged that President Donald Trump’s Department of Homeland Security cut $187 million from New York’s counterterrorism funds with no explanation.
The cut represents 87% of New York’s counterterrorism funding, much of it coming at the cost of the New York City Police Department and New York City Fire Department. Hochul said that when pressed for an explanation, DHS staff indicated that a formula was used to slash the funds, and quoted the response in saying, “the Secretary exercised no discretion.”
“Although your staff provided a brief overview regarding the formula, they were either unable or unwilling to share how certain factors were determined and what elements were considered. Despite multiple requests for clarification, your Department failed to provide any additional information,” Hochul’s letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem read.
The New York governor complained that her state had been targeted nearly twice as much as the next targeted state, making the cuts unconscionable.
“Given that counterterrorism is fundamentally a federal mission and your agency is charged with ensuring high-profile targets receive funding to protect local communities, historical sites, and financial sectors, I call upon you to be transparent with what appears to be a politically motivated effort to reduce funding for New York,” she wrote.
Hochul argued that the cuts made the state and the United States itself more vulnerable to terrorist attacks. She then took on a more forceful tone in her conclusion.
“Secretary Noem, you have the authority to ensure counterterrorism funding is allocated appropriately. Do not play games with this critical security funding. I demand you reverse this decision and restore funding for those that work to protect the number one terrorist target in America: New York,” she concluded.
The Washington Examiner reached out to the DHS for comment.
New York is the latest of several states to complain about sudden cuts in DHS funding, all coming from states unwilling to cooperate in Trump’s immigration enforcement policies. On Monday, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin co-led a coalition of 12 attorneys general in a lawsuit to block the cuts.
“The Trump Administration is playing games with the safety of our residents by illegally slashing Homeland Security Grant Program funding to New Jersey by 50%,” he said in a statement. “Until now, no administration has approached these grants – which protect New Jerseyans against terrorism, cyberattacks, and other critical safety issues – in a partisan manner.”
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“Now, after we stopped the Trump Administration from blocking all FEMA funding to New Jersey, they have decided to pivot and unlawfully reduce funding for homeland security preparedness. We are taking immediate legal action to fight this illegal and reckless cut and to fight for the safety of all New Jerseyans,” Platkin added.
The lawsuit was co-led by the attorneys general of Illinois, California, and Rhode Island. They were joined by the attorneys general of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, and Washington.
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