President Barack Obama travels to lower Manhattan on Thursday afternoon to thank the NYPD for its heroic thwarting of an attempted Times Square bombing — but the photo op may not go according to plan.
The Department of Homeland Security told congressional officials Wednesday that it's moving to make cuts in planned anti-terror funding to New York City, less than two weeks after cops helped thwart and attempted car bombing in Times Square — an effort the White House has since pinned on the Pakistani Taliban.
The cuts, lawmakers were told, amount to about 25 percent for port security, and another 27 percent for transit security, according to several reports.
But the White House Thursday morning pushed back strongly and insisted the reports were based on misinformation and were "wrong," adding that the net funding to New York will actually increase this year over last year.
"The reports are wrong," said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro of the planned cuts from a specific funding stream, which were initially announced about four months ago. "When all federal funding is totaled, NYC has received a net increase of $47 million for port and transit security over the previous year's budget, which was signed into law by the Bush Administration."
Still, New York officials took aim over the issue.
It "just makes no sense at all, particularly in light of recent events," Sen. Charles Schumer told cable station NY1's "Inside City Hall." "The worst nightmare we probably face is some kind nuclear device placed in a container in the ship in the harbor and exploding ... we need all the help we can get."
Schumer criticized the cut, but didn't blast the president — saying Obama understands the need for the funds and blaming Washington bean-counters.
The actual scope of the cuts wasn't immediately clear, but the move drew instant backlash from top New York lawmakers and presented poor optics for the president on the eve of his trip.
Pete King said there were suggestions in December that the cuts would be deep, but that the final figures were revealed today in briefings.
"It's absolutely disgraceful," he said. "This was bad news ... what we can do, though, is press DHS as much as we can."
Mayor Bloomberg demurred when asked about the cuts by reporters, saying he hadn't been officially informed of anything. But the mayor has been among the chief advocates for maintaining anti-terror funding levels to the city.
On May 1, NYPD — responding to a street vendor's observation that an abandoned sport utility vehicle in Times Square was smoking — intervened in the attemped bombing, which Attorney General Eric Holder last Sunday said was aided by Pakistani Taliban.
DHS cuts New York funds as President Obama visits - Maggie Haberman - POLITICO.com
The Department of Homeland Security told congressional officials Wednesday that it's moving to make cuts in planned anti-terror funding to New York City, less than two weeks after cops helped thwart and attempted car bombing in Times Square — an effort the White House has since pinned on the Pakistani Taliban.
The cuts, lawmakers were told, amount to about 25 percent for port security, and another 27 percent for transit security, according to several reports.
But the White House Thursday morning pushed back strongly and insisted the reports were based on misinformation and were "wrong," adding that the net funding to New York will actually increase this year over last year.
"The reports are wrong," said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro of the planned cuts from a specific funding stream, which were initially announced about four months ago. "When all federal funding is totaled, NYC has received a net increase of $47 million for port and transit security over the previous year's budget, which was signed into law by the Bush Administration."
Still, New York officials took aim over the issue.
It "just makes no sense at all, particularly in light of recent events," Sen. Charles Schumer told cable station NY1's "Inside City Hall." "The worst nightmare we probably face is some kind nuclear device placed in a container in the ship in the harbor and exploding ... we need all the help we can get."
Schumer criticized the cut, but didn't blast the president — saying Obama understands the need for the funds and blaming Washington bean-counters.
The actual scope of the cuts wasn't immediately clear, but the move drew instant backlash from top New York lawmakers and presented poor optics for the president on the eve of his trip.
Pete King said there were suggestions in December that the cuts would be deep, but that the final figures were revealed today in briefings.
"It's absolutely disgraceful," he said. "This was bad news ... what we can do, though, is press DHS as much as we can."
Mayor Bloomberg demurred when asked about the cuts by reporters, saying he hadn't been officially informed of anything. But the mayor has been among the chief advocates for maintaining anti-terror funding levels to the city.
On May 1, NYPD — responding to a street vendor's observation that an abandoned sport utility vehicle in Times Square was smoking — intervened in the attemped bombing, which Attorney General Eric Holder last Sunday said was aided by Pakistani Taliban.
DHS cuts New York funds as President Obama visits - Maggie Haberman - POLITICO.com
