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De Blasio, Bratton Blast Proposed Cuts to Federal Counterterrorism Funds

By Irene Plagianos | February 17, 2016 1:36pm
 Officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bratton slammed proposed cuts to federal funds for counter terrorism on Feb. 17, 2016.
Officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bratton slammed proposed cuts to federal funds for counter terrorism on Feb. 17, 2016.
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DNAinfo/Irene Plagianos

LOWER MANHATTAN —  A proposed budget cut that could slash $90 million in needed federal counterterrorism funds to New York City is "unconscionable," Police Commissioner Bill Bratton said Wednesday, especially at a time of increased terror threats.

Bratton, flanked by Mayor Bill de Blasio and other New York officials, blasted a plan by the Obama administration that would reduce funds for a national federal program, the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI), from $600 million to $330 million across the country. 

In New York City, funding could be slashed from $180 million to $90 million, Bratton said. He added that "a $90 million cut is unconscionable" and would result in the loss of active shooter trainings and force the NYPD to curtail programs like radiation detectors, license plate scanners, dogs that can detect explosions, and other initiatives that should be expanded, not reduced.

"So much of the training, so much of the overtime, so much of the extra security, we would not be able to do that," Bratton said.

"It seems to me that it's indefensible at this time for the federal government to be proposing not only cuts but extraordinary cuts," Bratton added.

Federal funding goes towards counterterrorism measures for several city agencies, including the Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management.

Joe Esposito, OEM commissioner, said the office would have to “almost close their doors” if its funding was slashed.

"This is no time to cut back," said Mayor de Blasio, vowing to fight the cuts. "We have to be more vigilant than ever and more prepared than ever."

Senator Chuck Schumer said he "would not stand" for the proposed cuts Wednesday.

Schumer said he was "shocked" by the proposal, adding that he couldn't get a good answer as to why the funds would be slashed, especially in light of recent terror attacks in California and Paris.

He said a possible — though not viable — explanation could be that in some years, the city hasn't used up the annual budgeted funds. But he called that possible reasoning a "mistake."

"All the money we get, we use, but sometimes those dollars are used the next year," Schumer said.

"It couldn't come at a worse time," he said. "The safety of our city and country is too important."

Schumer said the city has until Oct. 1 to get the funding restored and he will fight to get the money back before Congress votes.

De Blasio said his message to the president was: "Let's fix this problem now. We're going to be the number one terror target for as long as there is an international terror threat."