Trump Administration Reverses $187 Million in N.Y. Counterterrorism Cuts

The Trump administration will restore $187 million in cuts it had made to law enforcement funding, which would have devastated New York’s intelligence and counterterrorism operations, following a bipartisan push to reinstate the funds.

The cuts, which represented the largest federal defunding of police operations in New York in decades, were made by the Department of Homeland Security, without explanation and without the approval of President Trump, White House officials said.

Indeed, President Trump was blindsided by the decision to defund the police, not learning of the cuts until Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York called him on Sunday to protest the change after the fact, according to three people with knowledge of the call.

The frantic effort to undo the rolling cuts made to the Homeland Security Grant Program, with the last $100 million slashed over the weekend, underscored the chaos unfolding as the Trump administration moves to punish political adversaries by stopping the flow of billions of dollars in federal funds that had already been allocated nationwide.

President Trump confirmed the restoration on Friday in a post to Truth Social, saying: “I am pleased to advise that I reversed the cuts made to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for New York City and State. It was my Honor to do so. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Earlier on Friday, Homeland Security officials released a statement that did not explain the reasoning behind the cuts or their reversal.

“FEMA works closely with our state and local partners to understand their needs and deliver grant funding directly into the hands of those who will utilize those funds most effectively,” the statement said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“We are grateful for the partnership of the State of New York, and today are announcing full funding of H.S.G.P. grants to effectively counter and combat security threats within the Empire State.”

The Republicans involved in the effort included, among others, Representatives Michael Lawler of the Hudson Valley, Elise Stefanik of the North Country, and Nicole Malliotakis, who represents Staten Island and southern Brooklyn and is New York City’s lone Republican in Congress.

Ms. Hochul said on Friday that she was “glad President Trump heard our call and reversed course, ensuring our state has the resources necessary to support law enforcement and keep our families safe.” She had previously said that the cuts would make not only New York but “all of America more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.”

The pushback posed a challenge for the Republican lawmakers, especially Ms. Stefanik, who is among Mr. Trump’s most loyal supporters and is considering running for governor next year.

They seldom challenge the Trump administration, but not doing so on cuts that would have been damaging to law enforcement could have hurt them with their supporters.

Ms. Malliotakis, for example, was careful not to criticize the president directly, and she thanked him on Friday for the reversal. But she was nonetheless incensed when she learned of the cuts, which she said would affect her district.

“It’s completely unacceptable that the N.Y.P.D. would get a cut of this magnitude,” she said in an interview before the cuts were restored, adding that she had spoken with the president directly about them. “New York remains the No. 1 terror target.”

She questioned the logic of the cuts, and said she had urged Homeland Security officials to lay out the precise funding formula behind them.

“How did the Department of Homeland Security come to this determination, right?” Ms. Malliotakis said. “What formula are they using? What criteria? And we still have not received an answer.”

The Trump administration has cut funds to New York in the past because of its refusal to cooperate with immigration officials on its deportation agenda. New York City’s sanctuary city laws only allow law enforcement to work with immigration officials if an individual has been convicted of a crime.

The administration has also made cuts around the nation to institutions and governments reluctant to comply with the administration’s efforts to de-emphasize diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

It was not clear if the cuts to New York’s counterterrorism efforts were tied to immigration or D.E.I. initiatives. But some Republican members of New York’s delegation insisted that punishing New Yorkers, and law enforcement in particular, for policies set by Albany and New York City was wrongheaded.

“While I agree New York sanctuary policies need to change, I think the funds are vital to counter terrorism in New York,” Mr. Lawler said. “To me, this is bigger than the sanctuary city issue.”

Although Ms. Stefanik opposed the cuts privately, she publicly blamed New York and Ms. Hochul for the sanctuary policies that put the state on Homeland Security’s radar to begin with.

“New York Democrats caused these cuts due to their radical lurch to the socialist far left,” a senior adviser, Alex DeGrasse, said in a statement, adding that the congresswoman had “always strongly supported the police.”

The state receives roughly $220 million from the Department of Homeland Security each year to support counterterrorism and intelligence operations. About $90 million of that goes to the New York Police Department.

The proposed cuts would have lowered that amount to $10 million, which would have caused a “decimation” of the program, said Rebecca Weiner, the department’s deputy commissioner of intelligence and counterterrorism.

The money pays for the salaries of dozens of intelligence analysts who, over the past two years, have flagged 150 leads that led to arrests and thwarted attacks not just in New York, but in 10 other states and eight other countries, she said.

The funding also pays for radiation detection equipment, body armor, training to help officers respond to active shooter incidents, and equipment for the bomb squad, including specialized trucks, night-vision goggles, robots and dogs that can detect explosives, Ms. Weiner said.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch publicly warned this week that the funding in question could very well make the difference between preventing the next terrorist attack and being left vulnerable to it.

“Counterterrorism funding cannot be a political issue,” she said on Wednesday. “It cannot rise and fall based on partisan whims.”

The Department of Homeland Security had defended the cuts as recently as Thursday, saying in a statement that the agency had been “focused on aligning its grant programs with the Trump administration’s priorities to streamline federal resources and reduce the burden on the American taxpayer.”

New York was not the only state facing counterterrorism and emergency preparedness cuts. On Monday, the state joined 10 others and the District of Columbia in suing the Trump administration over its push to freeze such funds, which they said were withheld as political retribution for their immigration policies. On Tuesday, a judge in Rhode Island issued an order temporarily blocking the funding freeze while the case played out.

It is unclear what, if any, impact the reversal in New York will have on other states.