New York Governor Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accused the Trump administration on Tuesday of effectively “defunding the police” by withholding $87 million in federal counterterrorism grants. Speaking at a press conference in Midtown Manhattan, local and state leaders warned that the ongoing funding shortfall could affect regional emergency preparedness, bomb squads, and transit security operations just 10 days before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Disputed Federal Funds and Public Safety Impact
According to the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, the state was originally slated to receive $217 million before federal officials proposed slashing the amount to $30 million. State Division Commissioner Terrence O’Leary stated that subsequent litigation successfully restored $100 million, but the state remains $87 million short of its previous funding baseline. “Don’t play political games with people’s lives,” Hochul said during the briefing. “Release the $87 million you owe us.”
Operational Strains on NYC Agencies
City officials detailed specific operational vulnerabilities tied to the missing grant money across multiple emergency services. Mayor Mamdani warned that the reductions could affect the NYPD’s capacity to maintain its current network of 12 certified bomb squads. “This is a cut that will then impact our ability to have bomb squads here in New York City at the level that we have today,” Mamdani said, noting that the funds also support Fire Department of New York communications capabilities and radiological response equipment. Meanwhile, NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Christina Farrell reported that 110 agency staff members are funded through the Urban Area Security Initiative grant. Farrell explained that while layoffs have not been announced, the funding supports critical infrastructure including the Watch Command, the Notify NYC emergency alert system, large-scale emergency exercises, and the city’s emergency logistics stockpile.
Clashing Federal Priorities and Immigration Enforcement
The funding dispute unfolded simultaneously with a separate enforcement push by federal authorities in New York. At 26 Federal Plaza, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin held a separate press conference to announce that more than 2,100 immigrants were arrested in New York during a monthlong sweep dubbed “Operation Rotten Apple.” Mullin criticized the state’s limitations on local cooperation with federal immigration authorities, stating that federal funds should not support sanctuary jurisdictions. Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani pushed back against those enforcement claims, maintaining that major crime categories remain at record lows and that federal arrest metrics mischaracterize local public safety conditions.
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