Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer wants New York law enforcement to stop protecting President Trump if the federal government doesn’t up.
“[Mayor Bill de Blasio] ought to tell the Congress if we don’t pay for it, New York City cops aren’t guarding it, and let the Feds put more people in,” Schumer, D-N.Y., told Buzzfeed. “That’s what I think he should do.”
New York City spent $24 million providing security for Trump Tower between election day and and the inauguration, according to city officials. Those costs have continued as first lady Melania Trump and son Barron Trump won’t move to the White House until after he finishes the school year.
“We are seeking full federal reimbursement for all costs incurred related to security for President Trump and his family at Trump Tower,” de Blasio spokeswoman Freddi Goldstein, told Reuters. “Trump Tower itself now presents a target to those who wish to commit acts of terror against our country, further straining our limited counterterrorism resources.”
Trump is expected to return to New York on May 4, where he will meet with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnball aboard an aircraft carrier.
Democratic politicians in Florida have also made an issue of Trump’s security costs, in light of his frequent trips to Mar-a-Lago. “I know that my taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear the burden,” a Palm Beach County commissioner Dave Kerner said in March.
