The office of Congressman Mike Lawler, who represents New Yorks 17th Congressional District that includes part of Westchester County, has told Westfair’s Westchester County Business Journal that the Trump administration has agreed to restore funding totaling $187 million that it had cut from Homeland Security funds that would have gone to Hudson Valley counties and New York City. Lawler’s office said they were notified of the move by the administration. The New York Times also reported that the administration had reversed its position on the funding.
Lawler noted that he had lobbied the administration to restore the funding. He said that he “made clear that these cuts were unacceptable and posed a direct threat to the safety of New Yorkers. New York remains the number one target for terrorism, and we cannot let politics put lives at risk.”
Separately, a federal court had issued a temporary retraining order that blocked the Trump administration from going ahead with its plan to slash funding to states and localities for homeland security and police activities.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James had joined with 11 other states in a lawsuit designed to stop the administration from cutting Homeland Security grants to states that have not supported Trump’s crackdown on immigrants. In a decision announced Oct. 1, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted the coalition’s motion for a temporary restraining order, preventing the Department of Homeland Security from enforcing its funding cuts.
“This is an important win for New Yorkers and for every state that relies on these critical funds to stop dangerous threats,” James said about the temporary restraining order. “The federal government cannot play politics with the safety of our communities and the hardworking law enforcement officers who protect them every day. I will continue fighting to ensure New York gets the resources we need to keep our state safe.”
Without mentioning the court’s action in a statement he issued Lawler said, “This is a major win for our state and a testament to what we can achieve when we work together to push back on misguided decisions.”
Counties in the Hudson Valley would have seen federal funding for homeland security and police dramatically reduced under the cuts.
Funding for Westchester County would have been cut by $1,238,333, meaning the county would have received only $129,555 from the federal government for the public safety efforts. Ulster County would have had its allocation cut by $208,635, receiving only $21,828. Sullivan County would have been cut by $162,262 receiving $169,777. Rockland would have been cut by $575,679, receiving $60,228. Putnam’s cut was $212,499, receiving $22,232.
Orange County would have been cut $836,980 and received $87,566. Dutchess was to be cut $519,699 so it received only $54,371.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said, “Westchester County, with more than 1 million residents, sits in the shadow of New York City. We are home to a major airport and a nuclear power plant currently being decommissioned. Homeland security is not optional here — it is essential.”
According to Jenkins Homeland Security funding for Westchester has supported both the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Emergency Services — two agencies he deems are essential to protecting Westchester residents and preparing for emergencies. The funds helped provide critical resources such as protective gear for firefighters, hazardous material response equipment and training, advanced simulation equipment for emergency response training, and joint training exercises for police, fire, and EMS personnel which includes active shooter response.
