The NYPD has been providing additional security for Donald Trump in New York since Election Day to the tune of about $500,000 day -- and New York Democrats want the federal government to pay for it.
Top New York City-area House Democrats appeared with NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller on Capitol Hill Tuesday to call on Congress to provide NYC with $35 million that he said will cover security expenses between Election Day and the inauguration.
The figure covers the cost of extra officers assigned to cover Trump Tower, along with the overtime they accrue.
"New York taxpayers must not pick up the tab," said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.
Should Trump's family remain in New York City, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-New York, and other New York Democrats want the president-elect to cover the additional costs of securing Trump Tower.
The Trump family has said Melania Trump and Barron Trump will remain in New York through the spring, so Barron can finish school in the city.
Miller said the security plan and the cost -- devised with the Secret Service -- takes into account the difficulties of securing a skyscraper on one of the busiest streets in New York City.
Asked about those difficulties, Miller said: "If I could have picked a place to secure, it would have been among the very last."
Lowey and other New York Democrats want the funding included in the year-end spending bill Congress is expected to pass this week.
Money for the city is "in the mix" for the spending bill, according to a spokesperson for House Appropriations Committee chairman Hal Rogers, R-Kentucky.
As of Tuesday afternoon, House Republicans had floated a counteroffer that included less federal compensation than what the New York Democrats had initially requested.
"No decisions have been made," the spokesperson said in an email.
Mayor Bill de Blasio asked Congress to approve the $35 million in a letter sent on Monday, though the White House's Office of Management and Budget sent the formal request for $35 million to Capitol Hill two weeks ago.
from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2gOXo87
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