Latest news with #securityfunding
Fox News
09-08-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump admin cutting $20M in DC security funding after federal law enforcement ordered to increase presence
The Trump administration plans to cut millions in security funding for Washington, D.C., despite the president also directing federal law enforcement to increase its presence in the city because of its "totally out of control" crime. In a grant notice posted last week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that D.C.'s urban security fund would receive $25.2 million, a 44% year-over-year reduction. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said on Friday it slashed funds to multiple cities to be consistent with the "current threat landscape." Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Jersey City also had their security funds cut, but the decrease in D.C. was the largest for any urban area that received funding from the program last fiscal year. DHS has "observed a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to simpler, small-scale assaults, heightening the vulnerability of soft targets and crowded spaces in urban areas." Violent crime in D.C. dropped by 35% between 2023 and 2024, the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. said in December, stating that there were 3,388 incidents last year compared to 5,215 incidents the year before. Crimes that saw significant drops last year included homicide, which was down 30%, sexual abuse down 22% and assault with a dangerous weapon down 27%. Robberries and burglaries slightly dropped to 8% for both. The federal funding covers security needs in the National Capital Region, which includes D.C. and surrounding cities in Maryland and Virginia. FEMA has $553.5 million to spend to support cities across the U.S. to boost security. It is unclear how much of the National Capital Region's total security budget comes from that program. In the past, local officials have used federal funds for hazmat training, hiring officers and replacing fiber in their emergency communications network, according to a 2016 report from D.C.'s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. On Thursday, Trump directed federal law enforcement to increase their presence in the nation's capital, following a string of violent crimes, including an incident in which former DOGE staffer Edward Coristine, nicknamed "Big Balls", was beaten in the city's streets earlier this week. "Crime in Washington, D.C., is totally out of control," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Local 'youths' and gang members, some only 14, 15, and 16-years-old, are randomly attacking, mugging, maiming, and shooting innocent Citizens, at the same time knowing that they will be almost immediately released. They are not afraid of Law Enforcement because they know nothing ever happens to them, but it's going to happen now!" The president said that the nation's capital "must be safe, clean, and beautiful for all Americans and, importantly, for the World to see." "If D.C. doesn't get its act together, and quickly, we will have no choice but to take Federal control of the City, and run this City how it should be run, and put criminals on notice that they're not going to get away with it anymore," he continued. "Perhaps it should have been done a long time ago, then this incredible young man, and so many others, would not have had to go through the horrors of Violent Crime."
Reuters
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Washington, DC, facing $20 million security funding cut despite Trump complaints of crime
WASHINGTON, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to slash security funding for Washington, D.C., according to a grant notice, even as President Donald Trump asserts crime in the U.S. capital is 'totally out of control.' The Federal Emergency Management Agency said, opens new tab in a notice posted last week that D.C. and surrounding areas would receive $20 million less this year from its urban security fund, reducing the funding to $25.2 million and amounting to a 44% year-on-year cut. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said on Friday it cut funds to D.C. and other cities to align with the 'current threat landscape.' The agency has "observed a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to simpler, small-scale assaults, heightening the vulnerability of soft targets and crowded spaces in urban areas,' it said. FEMA also cut security money for Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Jersey City and San Francisco, but the reduction in D.C. was the largest for any urban area that received funding from the program last fiscal year. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters email requesting comment on the funding cuts. The federal security funding covers needs in the National Capital Region, an area that includes D.C. and nearby cities in Maryland and Virginia. Regional officials in the past have used the money to pay for hazmat training, hiring officers and replacing fiber in their emergency communications network, according to a 2016 report from D.C.'s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has $553.5 million to spend to help cities across the U.S. shore up their security. Reuters could not immediately verify how much of the National Capital Region's total security budget comes from that program. Trump directed federal police on Thursday to step up their presence in the capital, days after staffer Edward Coristine was attacked in D.C. It was the president's latest step toward taking over running the city that is the seat of the U.S. government. Violent crime in D.C. dropped 35% between 2023 and 2024, according to a December report from the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.
Reuters
08-08-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
DC facing $20 million security funding cut despite Trump complaints of US capital crime
Aug 8 (Reuters) - The Trump administration plans to slash security funding for Washington, D.C., according to a grant notice, even as President Donald Trump asserts crime in the U.S. capital is 'totally out of control.' The Federal Emergency Management Agency said, opens new tab in a notice posted last week that D.C. and surrounding areas would receive $20 million less this year from its urban security fund, reducing the funding to $25.2 million and amounting to a 44% year-on-year cut. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, said on Friday it cut funds to D.C. and other cities to align with the 'current threat landscape.' The agency has "observed a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to simpler, small-scale assaults, heightening the vulnerability of soft targets and crowded spaces in urban areas,' it said. FEMA also cut security money for Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, Jersey City and San Francisco, but the reduction in D.C. was the largest for any urban area that received funding from the program last fiscal year. D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser's office did not immediately respond to a Reuters email requesting comment on the funding cuts. The federal security funding covers needs in the National Capital Region, an area that includes D.C. and nearby cities in Maryland and Virginia. Regional officials in the past have used the money to pay for hazmat training, hiring officers and replacing fiber in their emergency communications network, according to a 2016 report from D.C.'s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has $553.5 million to spend to help cities across the U.S. shore up their security. Reuters could not immediately verify how much of the National Capital Region's total security budget comes from that program. Trump directed federal police on Thursday to step up their presence in the capital, days after staffer Edward Coristine was attacked in D.C. It was the president's latest step toward taking over running the city that is the seat of the U.S. government. Violent crime in D.C. dropped 35% between 2023 and 2024, according to a December report from the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C.
Reuters
06-08-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Schumer condemns Trump administration's $64-million NYC security cut
WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - New York's senior senator on Wednesday blasted the Trump administration's plan to cut security funding for New York City, calling the decision 'irresponsible and dangerous.' The Federal Emergency Management Agency posted a notice of New York's reduced grant online on Friday, just days after a gunman killed four people inside a Manhattan skyscraper. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who represents New York, asked FEMA to reverse a $64-million cut to the city's federal security funding, first reported by Reuters on Tuesday. 'Donald Trump treats NY like his personal punching bag in an attempt to settle political scores — and failing to release NY's critical anti-terrorism funds is stooping to a new low,' he said in a statement. The cut is part of the Trump administration's transformation of FEMA, the federal agency charged with responding to disasters. The agency also distributes security funding to states and densely populated cities to 'respond to acts of terrorism and other catastrophic events,' according to its website. The Department of Homeland Security, FEMA's parent agency, said in a statement it is encouraging cities to tap a separate pool of funding to cover security needs, known as the State Homeland Security Program. FEMA is also slashing New York's funding from that program by 38% year-on-year, according to an August 1 notice, opens new tab. FEMA said in July it would not cut it, but reversed course. FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the change. FEMA also cut urban security funding for Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and Los Angeles, according to the August 1 notice. Washington saw the largest cut year-on-year at 44%. The Trump administration is also requiring states to spend part of their federal security funding on arresting migrants. In New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is 'committed to securing every federal dollar that New Yorkers deserve,' his spokesperson Liz Garcia said in a statement. The city spends the funding over several years, adding that the mayor's office recently used part of its 2020 money, she said. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York, said in a statement she would ask Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about the funding cuts, adding that it is possible the agency is 'risking New Yorkers' safety as a political power move.'
The Independent
10-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
FEMA blamed for holding up billions in grants to fight terrorism, officials claim
Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, meant to help prevent domestic terrorism and bolster security in local and state governments, is being withheld, officials claim. For the last two months, FEMA officials have been delayed in posting the latest application guidelines for its Homeland Security Grant Program, which consists of several individual grants. The application is expected to reflect President Donald Trump 's agenda. But the delay has left state, local, tribal, and territorial governments without assurance that they can obtain funding to bolster security and protect against domestic terrorism threats. That funding has helped pay for National Guard members to patrol subways in New York, license plate readers in New Jersey, and assist waste plants' cybersecurity infrastructure in Washington state, among other things, according to the New York Times. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said, in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, that the uncertainty left her 'deeply troubled.' '[Homeland Security Grant Program] provides states, local jurisdictions and their law enforcement, public safety, homeland security and emergency management officials with critical resources to further their preparedness and response capabilities,' Hochul said in her letter. Hochul said that without those resources, law enforcement is 'unable to access state-of-the-art training, the latest advancements in equipment and the ability to seamlessly share and analyze intelligence with each other.' The Independent has reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA for comment. The program, which began after September 11, 2001, distributed approximately $1 billion in funding in the last fiscal year. The administration was supposed to release applications by mid-May. In June, a coalition of organizations representing local and state officials, emergency managers, and those who mitigate disasters also sent a letter to Noem urging her to issue a Notice of Funding Opportunities as soon as possible. 'The lack of timely NOFOs creates an inability to enhance response and recovery capabilities across the country and puts critical infrastructure at risk,' the coalition wrote. 'This comes during a time when nation-state actors, domestic and international extremists, and the hazards of our natural environment pose a tremendous and increasing threat,' it continued. The concerns over FEMA arrive as the agency faces cutbacks and stricter oversight that has made it more difficult for it to operate freely. Trump has said he wants to phase out FEMA eventually, making states reliant on themselves for emergency response. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS – which oversees FEMA, declined to tell the New York Times when the paperwork could be published but that Noem has, 'directed DHS to implement additional controls to ensure that all garnet money going out is consistent with law and does not go to fraud, waste or abuse, as in the past.'
