Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

SummerSnow

(12,608 posts)
Wed Nov 1, 2017, 09:07 AM Nov 2017

The Blamer-In-Chief blames Schumer for the NYC terrorist attack? *Read this*

NYPD says Trump’s budget would gut New York’s counterterrorism efforts, make the city less safe

The New York City Police Department says that President Trump’s proposed budget, which includes sweeping cuts across the government, would gut “critical” efforts to fight terrorism in the nation’s largest city.

Police say the funding cuts would hit everything from intelligence analysis to active-shooter training. The blunt assessment was delivered by the top law enforcement officer in Trump’s hometown, who leads an agency tasked with defending the city against terrorism — and, more recently, protecting Trump Tower since it became a de facto “White House north” while first lady Melania Trump and her son, Barron, are living there.

“Under the president’s proposal, nearly all federal funding to the NYPD would be eradicated,” James P. O’Neill, the New York City police commissioner, said at a briefing Thursday afternoon. “This funding is absolutely critical. It is the backbone of our entire counter-terrorism apparatus.”

[What Trump cut in his budget]

The Trump administration has defended its budget cuts as necessary and say they follow through on the president’s messaging throughout the campaign. But O’Neill’s criticism appears to undercut two pillars of Trump’s candidacy and the early days of his presidency, as Trump has portrayed himself as a defender of law and order and a strong protector of national security.

In O’Neill’s telling, the president’s new budget strips out pivotal money needed to keep New York safe.

“It is the cornerstone of effective preparedness and prevention against terrorist threats, and enables us to do what we can do to keep this city secure,” O’Neill said. “Everyone who lives in, works in, and visits New York City, this money’s critical to keeping everybody safe.”

He added: “Simply put, we cannot afford to cut corners in fighting terrorism.”

O’Neill described the federal funding that would be lost as “essential” to numerous aspects of the NYPD’s counter-terrorism activities, including the city’s intelligence analyst program, active-shooter training provided to tens of thousands of officers and the department’s bomb squad.

That last group was directly involved in responding to a recent terrorism threat, O’Neill noted, pointing out that after a pressure-cooker explosive detonated in Manhattan last year, the bomb squad safely removed a second device that did not explode. Authorities later said that the man accused of that bombing hoped to stage a suicide attack in the city.

“New York City remains one of the top terror targets in the world, and certainly the top target in the United States,” he said. “The federal government has long acknowledged that fact, and to cut that funding would make us increasingly less safe.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/03/16/nypd-says-trumps-budget-would-gut-new-yorks-counterterrorism-efforts-make-the-city-less-safe/?utm_term=.3ffad81afd75

By Mark Berman March 16

* So do me a favor, STFU. It's your fault!!*

Latest Discussions»General Discussion»The Blamer-In-Chief blame...