On September 27, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cut $102.7 million from the state of New York’s counterterrorism budget, on top of an initial $87 million it had threatened to cut on an unknown date in August. The cuts would have effectively erased New York’s homeland security funding, accounting for 86% of it.
The cuts were done “without notice nor explanation” according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul. Axios was vaguely informed by the DHS that “the initial allocation of counterterrorism funds ‘fully met program requirement.'” New York is not the only state to have received unexplained cuts to their law enforcement capabilities; eleven other states were on the receiving end of these cuts. They all happen to be states in which the Democratic Party is dominant: California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Vermont, and Washington. The District of Columbia joins them in filing an injunction to cease the cuts.
On October 3, Trump reversed the cuts to New York. He did not explain why they were made in the first place, and why he suddenly reversed them.
In a separate cut from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the New York City subway system was deprived of $34 million in counterterrorism funding. A judge blocked this cut, and found that it was illegal, violating the Administrative Procedure Act. The judge also noted that the New York City transit system was the target of at least eight attempted terrorist attacks post-9/11.
