“Here’s my message to the president: don’t undermine our public safety efforts,” she said. “Don’t defund the police who thwart terror attacks. Don’t play political games with people’s lives. Release the $87 million you owe us.”

The dispute dates back to September 2025, when the Department of Homeland Security delayed the release of that year’s Homeland Security Grant Program funding.

After the 2025 funding opportunity was eventually released, New York’s initial allocation was cut by roughly $87 million, according to Hochul’s administration. When DHS issued the final awards on Sept. 27, 2025, the state was cut by an additional $100 million, bringing the total reduction to $187 million, or roughly 86% of the state’s previous allocation.

Hochul then pressed President Donald Trump to reverse the cuts. In October 2025, Trump said on Truth Social that he had “reversed the cuts made to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for New York City and State.”

But Hochul’s administration says New York has received only $100 million of the funding that was restored following a federal court order, leaving nearly $87 million outstanding.

The Homeland Security Grant Program was established by Congress following the 9/11 terrorist attacks and provides funding for state and local efforts to prevent and respond to terrorism. 

New York received roughly $220 million through the program in the previous fiscal year, according to Hochul’s administration, with a significant portion going to law enforcement agencies in New York City and surrounding communities.

Mamdani also criticized the withholding of the funds at Tuesday’s press conference.

“New York City is the greatest city in the world,” Mamdani said. “And yet, because of what this city represents, we also know that it will always be a target. Our city has made enormous strides over the last 25 years, and yet we know that we live in a complex and fast-moving threat landscape.”

In July, DHS announced that states would have to adopt a series of election-security measures to receive federal homeland security grants, effectively tying some federal funding to election administration.

Hochul has challenged that policy in court, arguing that the federal government lacks the authority to impose election requirements on states through the grant process.

“President Trump does not get to rewrite election law or suppress the right to vote with the stroke of a pen,” Hochul said in a July statement. “That’s why New York challenged this unlawful executive order from the very beginning.”

The Trump administration, however, disputes Hochul’s characterization of the current funding dispute.

A FEMA spokesperson accused the governor of “manufacturing a funding crisis,” saying New York has more than $300 million in unspent federal homeland security funding.

“Instead of falsely accusing President Trump of defunding law enforcement, Governor Hochul and Mayor Mamdani should answer a much simpler question: Why is New York and NYC demanding even more taxpayer money when it has failed to spend hundreds of millions of dollars already provided to protect its communities?” the spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.

ZOHRAN MAMDANI, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY’S SHADOW PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE

The administration also said that in fiscal 2025, it restored New York’s Homeland Security Grant Program allocation to the $133 million amount originally listed in the funding opportunity after Hochul directly appealed to Trump.

For fiscal 2026, New York is slated to receive more than $200 million in Homeland Security Grant Program funding, according to FEMA. The increase is tied in part to the costs associated with hosting FIFA World Cup matches earlier this year. FEMA expects to award the 2026 funding later this month.