WASHINGTON – New York law enforcement has netted nearly $26 million in federal grant funds to reimburse the hefty overtime tab police incurred guarding President Trump and his family before his inauguration.
“This is a major victory for New York taxpayers and law enforcement, who shouldn’t have to foot the bill for the federal responsibility of protecting the president-elect,” said New York Rep. Nita Lowey, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, who announced the grant funding Wednesday.
The funds will cover the costs law enforcement spent protecting Trump between his historic election Nov. 8 and his Jan. 20 inauguration. NYPD spent extra resources guarding Trump Tower, where Trump spent weeks interviewing cabinet candidates at his Fifth Avenue skyscraper, as well as protecting his family in Manhattan. The total tab to guard the Trumps during the transition was $24 million, according to the city.
“New York City taxpayers have now gotten back part of what they’re owed,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “That’s excellent news for our city and the hardworking police officers faced with this unprecedented security challenge.”
De Blasio and lawmakers have been lobbying for months to get federal aid for the NYPD overtime costs. The Bureau of Justice Assistance federal grants will go to the state of New York through two awards ($18.9 million and $7 million) to reimburse NYPD and Suffolk County Police Departments.
Rep. José Serrano (D-Bronx) said the reimbursement will finally make New York City “financially whole again.”
“The NYPD did an extraordinary job in performing what is really a federal responsibility, and I am glad that we were able to help ensure that public safety didn’t suffer as a result of this obligation,” Serrano said.