While the bill for securing Trump Tower actually proved slightly less than anticipated, NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill sent a letter to congressional representatives this week requesting federal reimbursement.
It cost the NYPD and FDNY a combined total of $25.7 million to protect the Fifth Avenue tower and President Donald Trump’s family from Election Day through the inauguration, according to the letter sent on Tuesday.
That cost was less than the $35 million initially estimated and actually decreased, in part, because fewer cops were assigned to the security deployment after the holidays, according to the mayor’s office.
So far, Congress has only promised the city $7 million.
“As we continue to manage the new reality of protecting the President, his family, and Trump Tower, funding will be critical to ensure New York City can allocate the personnel and resources that are necessary to keep the city and all its residents safe,” O’Neill wrote in the letter.
O’Neill estimated that it will cost an average of $127,000 to $146,000 per day for the NYPD’s efforts and $4.5 million each year for the FDNY to protect first lady Melania Trump and their son, Barron, in Trump Tower.
The first lady and Barron are expected to move to the White House after the end of the school year.
When Trump himself comes to visit, that average daily rate will increase to $308,000 for NYPD security.
On Sunday, Sen. Chuck Schumer proposed Trump allocate federal funds to reimburse the city in his White House budget. -With Matthew Chayes
