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A group of House Democrats from New York are claiming President Donald Trump’s annual government funding proposal, if enacted, could leave big cities vulnerable to massive terror attacks.
“We are writing to express the gravest concerns about the existential threat that the Trump Administration’s proposed budget poses to the homeland security of New York City,” the Democrats wrote.
“Here is the bottom line: the Trump budget, if enacted, would leave America’s largest city woefully unprepared to prevent and respond to a second 9/11.”
The bold new accusation comes as left-wing lawmakers continue to criticize Republicans’ efforts at slashing federal spending. The national debt, meanwhile, is climbing toward $37 trillion.
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The letter was signed by New York City Democratic Reps. Ritchie Torres, Yvette Clarke, Gregory Meeks, Dan Goldman and Jerry Nadler.
They argued that “Draconian cuts” to homeland security grants “would all but dismantle the FDNY’s capacity for emergency management and would reduce the NYPD’s post-9/11 counterterrorism apparatus to a shell of its former self.”
The letter is addressed to the top Republican and Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, which has already begun work on the next fiscal year’s federal budget in time for the Sept. 30 deadline.
The White House has released a “skinny” budget proposal for fiscal year (FY) 2026, which, if passed, would make good on Republicans’ promise to slash government spending that they say has gotten out of control.
The proposal would cut $163 billion in non-defense discretionary government spending – meaning the federal funding that Congress controls every year, rather than mandatory funding, which is largely comprised of government safety net programs that are amended through a separate process called budget reconciliation.
The nonprofit International Association of Fire Chiefs’ analysis of the budget said the State Homeland Security Grant program (SHSGP) would be cut from $468 million to $351 million, and the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) would be cut from $553.5 million to $415.5 million – two programs highlighted by the New Yorkers.
The lawmakers’ letter said New York City could see $45 million in homeland security grants cut under Trump’s budget.
“The Trump budget is an act of national self-sabotage,” they said. “In just the first half of 2025, we have seen seven terrorist plots—roughly one per month. 24 years following 9/11 terror attacks, the threat of terrorism remains as real as it has ever been.”
The Democrats noted that New York’s police and fire departments “routinely provide reinforcements and technical assistance to jurisdictions across the United States.”
“The homeland security grants for NYC enables a national network of mutual aid between and among states,” they argued.
The White House FY26 budget proposal is traditionally just an initial plan that undergoes changes as lawmakers negotiate what’s feasible.
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With a Republican trifecta in Washington, however, Republicans will likely be under added pressure to deliver on a vision as close to Trump’s as possible.
Separately, GOP lawmakers are also working on the sweeping tax and immigration legislation that Trump dubbed his “big, beautiful bill,” with a goal of getting that bill to Trump’s desk by Fourth of July.
When reached for comment on the letter, the White House referred Fox News Digital to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
A DHS spokesperson said, “Claims that DHS is reducing focus on terrorism prevention are unequivocally false.”
“Allegations of weakening these programs are baseless. DHS is enhancing intelligence and infrastructure protection to keep cities secure. We remain fully dedicated to preventing another 9/11 with robust, targeted investments,” the DHS spokesperson said.
But Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital, “We do not even have President Trump’s full 2026 budget request yet, but from what we have seen, the cuts he is proposing across the federal government threaten our national security.”
“House Republicans are tasked with drafting these bills and Democrats stand ready to work in a bipartisan manner, but we will not support final 2026 funding bills that fail to keep our communities safe,” DeLauro said.
A spokesperson for House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., did not return a request for comment on the letter.
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