New Yorkers Must Not Foot the Bill for Protecting the President Elect
Dear Friend,
Congress is in the midst of completing its work for the year, but before we adjourn I believe we must provide New York City with federal funds to cover the costs for securing Trump Tower. Since election day, NYPD has been working tirelessly and professionally to comply with Secret Service requirements for protecting the next President of the United States. However, New York City taxpayers should not be the ones footing this bill. That’s why, last night I led a New York delegation letter to Congressional leadership urging inclusion of a $35 million reimbursement to New York City for the costs our city has incurred providing security for President-elect Trump between Election Day and Inauguration Day.
Today, I, along with other members of the New York Delegation, met with NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller for a briefing on these costs and they are significant. As the Deputy Commissioner made clear, Trump Tower is located in one of the densest and busiest urban areas in the world. Securing a location like this for a President-elect over an extended time period is essentially unprecedented.
NYPD has been doing an outstanding job in the face of this unprecedented challenge and Mayor de Blasio has detailed the extraordinary lengths that the NYPD has gone to in order to secure Trump Tower and the surrounding perimeter. Congress needs to make sure that New Yorkers are not stuck with the bill, just as we did when Chicago incurred costs leading up to the inauguration of President Obama.
This funding is essential to enable the city to confront the challenges it is facing to strengthen protection protocols for President-elect Trump. The NYPD is ready and willing to take on the job, but it must have the resources to do it successfully.
I also want to assure you that even after Inauguration Day, I will continue to monitor the impact of heightened security in New York City to ensure that the effect on you and visitors to our great city is mitigated to the greatest extent possible without sacrificing safety for anyone. The NYPD has a critical mission to protect New Yorkers in a city that is a constant target. We have to make sure that we give them the resources they need to continue to do that work in the face of this additional immense responsibility.
I am grateful to Deputy Commissioner Miller for traveling to Washington today to brief the members of the New York City delegation. We will continue to work closely with the NYPD and with the Mayor on this issue.
I will update you as we hear back about the status of our request.
As always, your concerns are my top priority. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts and concerns by visiting my website.
Sincerely,
Carolyn B. Maloney
Member of Congress
New York Daily News:
NYPD counter-terrorism chief John Miller explains $35M bill to cover Trump Tower security
I gathered with other New York Members of Congress on Tuesday for a briefing with NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller to discuss the costs of protecting President-elect Trump in NYC.
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