President Donald Trump announced a decision to reverse cuts to homeland security and counterterrorism for New York City and New York State on Oct. 3.
“I am pleased to advise that I reversed the cuts made to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for New York City and State,” the president said on Truth Social. ”It was my Honor to do so.”
The president’s statement did not explain the reason behind the decision. The Epoch Times reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comments.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul welcomed this reversal, stating in a post on X that it means $187 million will be made available for the New York City Police Department and Fire Department, as well as for first responders across the state.
The cuts also meant that no projected funding was made available for New York State’s 12 certified bomb squads.
The cuts come from Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order directing Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi to take “any lawful actions to ensure that so-called ’sanctuary' jurisdictions, which seek to interfere with the lawful exercise of Federal law enforcement operations, do not receive access to Federal funds.”
“Radical sanctuary politicians need to put the safety of the American people first—not criminal illegal aliens,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told The Epoch Times in late September. “The Trump Administration is committed to restoring the rule of law. No lawsuit, not this one or any other, is going to stop us from doing that.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told members of the press on Oct. 3 that the administration remains committed to cutting federal funds to states and cities whose leaders choose not to work with the president on making America safe.
Specifically, citing the ongoing violence in Portland, Oregon, Leavitt said: “We think it’s despicable that these local elected officials who swear an oath to protect their people are preventing law enforcement from doing their jobs on the ground. So that’s why the President has directed his team here at the White House, and they are already on it, to look into how we can cut funds.”
Trump’s announcement also came on the third day of the federal government’s shutdown. Leavitt told members of the press that, despite the shutdown, which she blamed on uncooperative Democratic senators, the president’s efforts continue.
“President Trump believes that American cities should be the safest places on earth, and he is committed to making this a reality,” she said.
However, this shutdown has resulted in thousands of government employees being furloughed, which Leavitt said was a consequence of the administration’s commitment to “restoring fiscal sanity.”
“We are $37 trillion in debt, and the federal government is currently shut down,” she said. ”There is no more money coming into the federal government’s coffers. And as you’ve also seen since the beginning, in January, this administration is focusing on waste, fraud, and abuse. And so Democrats have given this administration an unenviable choice to have to take a look at the balance sheet and identify where these cuts and layoffs can be made.”
