Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) joined with New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito and Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (NY-12) at Trump Tower to call on the federal government to fully reimburse New York City for costs incurred protecting President-elect Trump from Election Day through Inauguration Day. Mayor de Blasio and the Obama Administration requested $35 million from Congress to reimburse the city to cover the extraordinary costs required to protect the President-elect and his family. The Continuing Resolution passed by the House on Thursday evening to fund the government through April 28, 2016 included a $7 million reimbursement for NYC, falling millions short of the $35 million reimbursement requested.

Prior to the release of the Continuing Resolution, Rep. Maloney, Rep. Serrano, and 10 other members of the NY Delegation sent a letter to Congressional leadership in the House and Senate echoing the Mayor’s and Administration’s request for the full $35 million reimbursement for the people of New York.

“Securing the President-Elect is a national security priority, and it must be paid for by the federal government,” said Congresswoman Maloney. “The NYPD is undertaking extraordinary, and incredibly costly, measures to secure the President-elect and his family in the middle of midtown Manhattan. This budget’s failure to fully reimburse the City for these national security costs has forced New Yorkers to provide a no-interest loan to the federal government, with no guarantee of ever being paid back. That is a terrible deal. New Yorkers should not be expected to foot this bill alone.”

“New York City cannot single handedly shoulder the staggering cost of protecting the President-elect and his family,” said Speaker Mark-Viverito. “It’s outrageous that the proposed spending bill from the House of Representatives includes just $7 million dollars in owed reimbursement to New York City- a fraction of the $35 million the City of New York has asked for. The President-elect and the federal government must commit to repaying  the City back for the entire cost of protecting Trump Tower and I thank Congresswoman Maloney and the entire New York Delegation for their partnership as we join together to send this clear message to the Congressional leadership and the President-elect.”

“The additional security efforts required by President-elect Trump’s choice to run his presidential transition out of Trump Tower are already disrupting the lives of thousands of New Yorkers,” said Congressman Nadler. “The huge additional costs of these security arrangements are unfairly falling directly on the city, diverting funding from essential city programs and services. As with past presidents, the burden of paying for presidential security should fall on the federal government, not the city’s coffers. While the recently appropriated $7 million is a start, it is just 20 percent of the $35 million needed to fully reimburse New York City. In the next Congress, I will continue to work with other members of the New York Delegation to secure the remaining funds.“

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