New York City is getting its due from the federal government over security costs related to President Donald Trump.
Mayor Bill de Blasio outlined plans Friday for how the city will use $68 million from the federal government to cover the cost of protecting the president and his family during his transition period and beyond.
“We are getting what we are owed,” de Blasio said in a statement. “That’s good news for our city and the hardworking police officers faced with this unprecedented security challenge.”
Local law enforcement agencies, including the NYPD, will receive $20 million from the pot as reimbursement for funds already spent between the election and Trump’s inauguration. This is in addition to the $7 million in federal funds previously secured in the fiscal 2017 continuing resolution from Congress.
The Justice Department’s Byrne-JAG program will decide how to divide the funds among different agencies, the mayor’s office said.
The rest of the funding, $41 million, will cover security costs through Sept. 30, 2017, and will be doled out by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Law enforcement agencies will be able to submit claims to FEMA for reimbursement.
“It is ridiculous to expect local law enforcement, like the NYPD and FDNY, to bear the extraordinary and ongoing costs of protecting the president of the United States,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, adding that reimbursing city taxpayers was the “right thing to do.”
New York City taxpayers footed a $24 million bill to protect Trump Tower and the first family between Election Day and Inauguration Day, according to the mayor’s office. And the projected daily cost of security for first lady Melania Trump and son Barron — who still live in Trump Tower — as well as the building itself amounts to an estimated $127,000 to $146,000 per day.
That’s not including days when Trump himself visits the city, which is estimated to cost $308,000 per day, according to the mayor’s office.
Trump returned to the city for the first time on Thursday and the NYPD was ready for him with about 1,000 cops on assignment, per a law enforcement official, as well as heightened security measures around Trump Tower and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, where Trump spoke at a private event.
