NYC may have to compete for Trump Tower security funds
While the President has yet to visit Trump Tower since his inauguration, the price of protecting the First Lady and 10-year-old Barron costs the city an average of $136,000 per day, according to the NYPD. Congress offered only $7 million to reimburse the city for the $24 million the police department said they have spent protecting the building between the period of Trump’s election and his inauguration. However, as Crain’s learned, that payment is not guaranteed, and NYC may have to compete with New Jersey and Florida, both places the president frequents, for the money.
The NYPD also plans on increasing the number of officers who guard Trump Tower after struggling with effectively manning it. This month they announced the need for between 30 and 40 full-time officers to work 12-hour shifts at the skyscraper. Since New York carries most of the financial burden of protecting the First Family, city officials are hopeful they’ll receive the most in reimbursements out of the three places.
New Yorkers, who overwhelmingly voted for Hillary Clinton last fall, are not thrilled that their tax dollars are going to security for Donald Trump and his family. As 6sqft covered, New Yorkers created a petition to “Make Melania Trump stay in the White House or pay for the expenses herself,” to help relieve the strain on taxpayers. The Change.org petition currently has over 400,000 supporters.
At a City Council budget hearing yesterday, NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Management and Budget Vincent Grippo said, “We believe New York, areas in New Jersey, and Florida would be eligible [but] certainly we incurred the most significant burden.”
[Via Crain’s]
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