Governor Kathy Hochul: Good morning. I'm proud to stand here with the mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, as well as my commissioner of Homeland Security, Terence O'Leary, and representatives from law enforcement, 10 days away from the 25th anniversary of 9/11, the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The horrors are still vivid for the families who lost loved ones that morning, and for the families who are still losing loved ones due to 9/11 illnesses all these years later, and for the courageous first responders still haunted by the images and the aftermath of that day.
And yet today, after a quarter century of successfully thwarting other attacks on our homeland, our brave police and firefighters learn that the Trump administration is abandoning them. That's right, Donald Trump withholding funding intended to keep New Yorkers safe from another terrorism attack. That's exactly why we're standing here together today, to stand up and fight back against the unprecedented, reckless and dangerous decisions being made in Washington.
The Department of Homeland Security, the agency created in response to 9/11, is withholding 40 percent of New York State's counterterrorism funding. Yes, 40 percent. That's from New York State, the number one terror target in the nation, a place where just recently a terror plot against our state capitol was uncovered.
That 40 percent adds up to $87 million. That's $87 million they owe us.
Let me translate that in real simple terms. Donald Trump is defunding the police, defunding the NYPD intelligence analysts who foiled the attacks, defunding the brave members of FDNY who run into the fire while the rest of us are running out, defunding the National Guard, the units who protect the major transit hubs, defunding bomb squads, defunding police departments and sheriff's offices from Long Island to Westchester to Buffalo.
In New York City alone, over the last three years, the teams use these funds that have been responsible for at least 145 major arrests, disruptions and leads across 10 states. You know what that translates into? Lives saved, tragedies averted because of those highly specialized units.
And now, Donald Trump is refusing to release the funds that those teams so desperately need.
In so doing, Donald Trump broke a promise that he made last October when I asked him after there were the initial cuts of $187 million cut from our Homeland Security grant. I called him up, asked him if he would restore it. He said he'd look into it, but in his usual way of communicating, he posted on Truth Social, "It was an honor to reverse those cuts."
Yet today, another broken promise. A year later, we're still waiting for the money.
Mr. Make America Safe still talks a big game on law enforcement, talks big about protecting our law enforcement, our police. Instead of breaking up terror plots, he's breaking up innocent families, detaining children. He even sent DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to New York City today, told a press conference at this very moment, perhaps to spare the Trump administration the embarrassment of literally defunding the police, he should walk right over here now with a check for $87 million that our first responders and our counterterrorism officials are owed. [I] don't see him. Another example of Donald Trump endangering public safety to yet again extract revenge on a blue state. It's wrong, and he should work with me to keep people safe, not make them more vulnerable to terrorism attacks and crimes.
And I'll work with anyone, Democrat, Republican, to get the job done. I've made record investments in law enforcement and public safety, nearly $4 billion in the last five years. I've worked across the aisle to strengthen our laws and keep violent offenders across the streets, and it's paying off with crime hitting all-time lows across the state. We've come too far to let this reckless federal government jeopardize all of our progress and the vital work that is still ahead.
So, here's my message to the president: Don't undermine our public safety efforts. 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. Because if you don't release the counterterrorism funding, you're betraying every family that lost someone on 9/11. You're betraying every police officer and firefighter who puts their lives on the line every single day. And you're betraying every New Yorker who no longer believes that the federal government is there to protect them.
In 10 days, we'll see and say the words, "Never forget," 25 years after 9/11. Those words still mean something to us, still demand something of us. They demand that we remember those who we lost, honor the sacrifices that were made, and do everything in our power to ensure that it never, ever happens again.
Now let me turn it over to Mayor Mamdani to talk more about how critical this funding is, how essential it is to protecting the people of New York City. Mayor?
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Thank you, governor. As you've said, in 10 days, we will mark 25 years since the most horrific act of terror committed in New York City, 25 years after Sept. 11. The enormity of that loss remains fresh. And as we approach the solemn anniversary, we have a sacred obligation to continue to work every day to build a city that is worthy of those that were stolen from us and to ensure that an attack like Sept. 11 can never happen again.
I'm proud to stand here alongside Governor Hochul, NYCEM Commissioner Christina Farrell, DHSES Commissioner Terry O'Leary, MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper, and leaders in law enforcement and first response from across the state, dedicated public servants who devote themselves each day to the work of protecting New Yorkers.
New York City is the greatest city in the world. 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.
That is precisely why the federal government's refusal to provide $87 million in critical public safety and emergency readiness funding that was promised is so unacceptable. At the very moment we should be strengthening the systems that protect New Yorkers, the federal government is walking away from that responsibility.
That is why we are here together today, to call on Washington to restore the funding that our city is owed; funding that our first responders need, funding that is essential to keeping New Yorkers safe. These cuts make that work harder. And in some cases, without these federal dollars, that work becomes impossible.
I want to take a moment to make clear where this funding goes. We are not talking about reports or studies or abstract security proposals. We are talking about the money needed to fully fund 12 bomb squads across New York. We are talking about the money needed to ensure that in the event of a catastrophic attack, the FDNY can communicate internally and respond effectively. And we are talking about making sure that should New Yorkers ever face a radiological threat, our first responders have the training, the equipment and the capabilities they need to respond.
To put it simply, there is no excuse for the federal government to leave the nation's largest city to shoulder this burden alone.
Every single hour of the day, every day of the year, first responders across the five boroughs respond to calls that are of life and death. They go to work each morning knowing they may be asked to perform a miracle, that they could be the difference between a child growing up with a parent or not, whether a fire is contained or not, whether someone is home at the end of a day or not. That is a mighty responsibility, and we cannot and will not ask them to assume it alone.
Our first responders are not asking for someone else to do their job for them. They are simply asking for the resources they need to do their jobs well, with the professionalism and commitment that work of that seriousness demands.
We are here today to amplify their voices, to call on our leaders in Washington to fulfill the obligations and the promises that they have made, the obligation that they hold to this city to keep it safe. Thank you very much.
Terence (Terry) O'Leary, Commissioner, Division of Homeland Security & Emergency Services: Thank you, Mr. Mayor, and thank you, governor. Good morning. So, the funding that we're talking about today, as the governor and the mayor indicated, is more than just planning. It is response capabilities. It is preparedness.
And I think if you look at this past summer, you will see what preparedness can do. In a historic summer where New York helped host the FIFA World Cup, where we hosted the largest fleet gathering in the nation's history, and many other summer events, the amount of preparedness and planning that went on with the staff behind me, with Commissioner Farrell at New York City Emergency Management, with the NYPD, FDNY, Westchester County, the city of Yonkers and others, was no small feat.
It was two years of planning as we prepared for these events to make sure that New York State could host these events free from any terror attacks. New Yorkers stepped up. Our first responders did the work and made sure that everyone could enjoy it.
The federal portion of that was funding. Their funding is key for first responders here in New York State, and that's why we're here to talk to you about how serious the cuts that the federal government is imposing will be for everyday life here in New York.
In the fiscal '25 budget, the federal government actually proposed cutting New York's federal counterterrorism money from $217 million down to $30 million. And it was only after a lawsuit, in which New York State participated, that $100 million of New York's counterterrorism funding was restored.
It is now $87 million short of what that prior commitment was, and that's what we're calling on the Department of Homeland Security, who received [$80 billion] for their immigration budget. We're asking them to restore just $87 million to New York State's counterterrorism efforts.
The governor has led historic efforts in terms of counterterrorism and preparedness here in New York State, and that includes creating the nation's first domestic terrorism preparedness unit; putting $50 million to New York's behavioral threat assessment management teams across the state; $8 million to strengthen our northern border security when DHS has withdrawn its forces from the northern border and put them on the southern border instead.
This money has also gone to expanding our preparedness efforts, doing tabletop exercises with everybody across the state on critical infrastructure protection, on mass casualty incidents, as well as other things so that we can create these partnerships that you see behind me before an event happens.
And this doesn't happen lightly. These $87 million in cuts - I'll go through a little bit [of] exactly what is being cut. There's approximately $37.6 million being cut from the State Homeland Security Program. That funding goes to every county throughout New York State to help with preparedness efforts, to help with equipment, to help with response efforts. This will fund Hazmat teams, this will fund tactical teams, this will fund urban search and rescue teams as well.
The cut to New York City from the SHSP program is approximately $11 million. It is about $500,000 to Westchester, $670,000 to Nassau County and $500,000 to Suffolk County. The other program that's being cut is the Urban Area Security Initiative, and that is a partnership led by New York City that includes New York State, it includes the Port Authority, it includes Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk County, as well as our partners in the city of Yonkers.
This cut is approximately - excuse me - this cut of 40.9 percent went from $156 million down to $92 million, and that is after the federal courts restored $100 million. New York City will see a $55.6 million cut. The Port Authority will see a $3.8 million cut. Westchester, Nassau, Suffolk counties and the city of Yonkers will each see $950,000 cuts.
What do we use this money for? The NYPD uses this for their counterterrorism efforts. As the governor laid out, what the NYPD does with their counterterrorism and intel units not only benefits New York City; it benefits New York State, and it benefits the nation. The information sharing that we do from the NYPD, as well as the New York State Intelligence Center, which is run by the State Police, shares threats state- and nationwide so that others can take advantage of the unique talent that is here in New York State.
The FDNY's cuts will include cuts to their Incident Management Team, their Hazmat Team, their Search and Rescue Team, as well as their Special Operations Command. The FDNY is the best fire department in the country - no two ways about it. And they are leaders. They're recognized by FEMA as a Type 1 rescue team, and they're deployed throughout the country because of their specialty. We at the division use them with the Office of State Fire to help train firefighters throughout New York State because of their specialties. And with these cuts, we're going to lose many of those resources.
New York City Emergency Management is by far the best big-city emergency management office in the world. No two ways about it. We partner with them closely to prepare for any hazard that may come our way, whether it be man-made or natural. They use this funding for their planning resources, they use it for their stockpile resources, and they use it to coordinate effort throughout the city, as well as with their neighbors. We rely on them at the state level, and without this funding, their efforts will also be cut drastically.
In New York State, we use this funding for our State Intelligence Center. We also use this to pass money to local upstate counties for critical infrastructure protection, for K-9 teams, for bomb squads. You heard the 12 bomb squads and K-9 teams will be defunded. Why is this important? With the uptick in swatting, where someone from anywhere in the world can pose a threat to our synagogues, our churches and our schools, you can't just reopen those schools right away. You need local resources that are going to go in and make sure that that building is actually safe. And that is part of what this funding goes to.
This funding also goes to the National Guard, which has helped protect our transit hubs since 9/11, and those efforts will be cut as well. We also use this money for cybersecurity. Terror events are no longer kinetic events alone; they also include cyberattacks. And we have a historic partnership between New York State and New York City with the Joint Security Operations Center that views all cyberattacks in the state.
Under the governor's leadership, we have provided protection to every large city and every county throughout the state. That information is brought together. It is analyzed at the city and state level, and it is then shared with everybody throughout the state so that they do not fall prey to the same types of attack.
Terror is an international issue. It is something where the threat can originate anywhere. However, it is crystal clear that responders are here in New York. The federal government's commitment is to fund those first responders. By restoring this $87 million that was promised 10 months ago, the federal government can do its part to make sure that New York is ready for any threat that faces it.
And for that reason, we are calling upon Secretary Mullin and the Department of Homeland Security to make good on the promise that the president made 11 months ago, and we are still waiting. Not having this funding is making sure that we cannot take those next steps. We cannot be ready for whatever comes our way. We need them to make good on that promise.
And with that, I'd like to say thank you, Governor, and thank you, Mr. Mayor, for the opportunity and for your leadership in preparedness and fighting terror here in New York. Thank you.
Question: Governor and Mr. Mayor, if you could respond. So, as you mentioned, Mullin is in the city right now doing his own press conference. My colleague is there, and he said that basically, Mullin is saying that both of your administrations have made the city and the state less safe, specifically citing the 287(g) agreement. Wondering what your response is to that, and do you think that that is one of the reasons why they're also withholding this federal funding?
Governor Hochul: Well, once again, they don't understand facts. The facts would confirm that crime has gone down in all the major categories. So, we are not less safe. We are safer. There's not been a 287(g) agreement in New York City ever. So, the fact that the crime is going down has no bearing on whether or not we told other counties that we don't want you focused on being immigration enforcement officers, civil immigration enforcement officers, for ICE - an $87 billion agency - when you need to be focused on solving local crimes, preventing local crimes.
So once again, they're wrong, absolutely wrong. And if there are cases where there are individuals who are in this country undocumented who are involved in crimes, we always have and always will make sure that we cooperate under those circumstances, always. We are not a sanctuary state for criminals. I cannot say that more often. So, I encourage the press to ask them why they're lying. Mayor?
Question: [Inaudible] also said because New York City has a sanctuary city policy, that's one of the reasons also that he is here today.
Mayor Mamdani: I'm not sure how much more there is to add to what the governor has said. I think specifically to respond to that, I don't know how you describe a record low of murders and shootings as being anything other than something that should be celebrated.
And we are proud as New York City to be a city that has sanctuary policies. These are policies that used to be defended by Democrats and Republicans alike. These are policies that were introduced to ensure that every New Yorker would feel comfortable coming forward to report crimes as well to local law enforcement. And as the governor said, we have long had a set of more than 170 serious crimes that if anyone were to commit, we would be in contact with the federal administration about.
What we are seeing, however, from ICE is an attempt to criminalize the very fact of being an immigrant. And we are seeing a terrorizing of immigrants across our city and, frankly, across our nation that has left so many, regardless of their status, in deep fear about even leaving their home.
Not that long ago, the governor and I were here standing on this stage alongside other leaders from across New York City and New York State speaking about the importance of extending TPS to so many New Yorkers who have now been stripped of it. Because we know what we're really talking about is jeopardizing the ability of hardworking New Yorkers to continue to live and work in this city. We want this to be a place where that can be the case. We're not seeing that from federal policy.
Question: A question for the governor and the mayor. Can you give us any sense of conversations you've had with the president about this? And, Governor, have you enlisted any help from maybe the state's GOP congressional delegation, people with relationships in the White House and Congress? And the same question for you, Mr. Mayor. Have you had a conversation with the president about this?
Governor Hochul: I called the president when they withheld $187 million. And I said, "Mr. President, I'm going to do a press event." I said this a while back. "I'm going to do a press event and say that you're defunding the police. Is that what you're going to make me have to say? Because you are defunding the police." And within a couple of days, he tweeted that, "I'm proud to restore the money." That has been a promise that is broken. He needs to restore it.
And shame on the Republican members of Congress who know we're dealing with this. They're aware. And they never ever use their voices to speak up on behalf of keeping New York State safe. They're too busy running around saying, I hope - I'll watch my language - a lot of lies, a lot of lies. And again, the media has a special role here in this environment. When we're telling you the truth, you're hearing it not just from me and the mayor, but the commissioner of Homeland Security and all the law enforcement is standing behind me.
Are they saying that they're not telling the truth? Because I'll stand with law enforcement any day of the week over what we're seeing out of the Trump administration, which is to deflect from what's happening with the war in Iran, the fact that prices keep going up, the fact that they've broken every other promise.
This is a long litany of broken promises from the Trump administration. And it's about time they know that Americans are paying attention. They want to be protected. And shame on you for withholding this money and not delivering it to me right now, 10 days before we honor those lives that were lost on 9/11.
Question: So just to clarify, no conversation since the tweet?
Governor Hochul: Which tweet?
Question: The tweet you mentioned where he promised to be there.
Governor Hochul: No. We have been in communication with the Department of Homeland Security. They know they owe us this money. And so instead of walking around about rotten apples and talking about all this BS, we're about apple pies. We like apples here in the State of New York. We support that. And also, he ought to come over here right now and deliver that check. That's what I'm waiting for.
Question: Governor, that was 10 months ago, and we've seen an uptick on cases of deportations and detentions of Venezuelans. And because of the situation that we've given more leniency to immigrants with these new policies, do you think that's a reaction from the federal government to that? And would you change any of your policies to get these funds in order to keep New Yorkers safer?
Governor Hochul: We're not aware that there's a connection between our policies and these funds. They're just withholding our funds. These are properly allocated funds from the House of Representatives and Congress.
Question: But they're making it clear that you are not keeping New York safe because you are creating these policies that are in favor of immigrants, according to them, illegal.
Governor Hochul: And as a respected member of the journalist community, I'm sure you asked them the question: Have you looked at the statistics that show New York is safer than it was two years ago, three years ago, four years ago? So, New York is safer. So, I encourage all of you to not buy that argument that this is keeping New Yorkers less safe.
And I will stand up for the immigrant community. Again, [I've] been crystal clear. You commit a crime; we don't want you here. And I also have to say, our policy is that if someone has committed a crime, they go through the criminal justice system, they're prosecuted, they're convicted, the victims get justice, [and] the person goes to jail.
We notify ICE that these individuals are about to be released, and they should be deported. That's always been our policy for decades. You know what? Sometimes they don't even show up. ICE doesn't even do their job. They don't care. So, I'm not buying what they're selling here, and I don't think you should either.
Question: For Mayor Mamdani, I see that no one from the NYPD is here. I don't know if it was a scheduling thing, but if you want to talk a little bit more about what the lack of this funding means, does it mean layoffs from some of these units within the department, and what that actually means? And I know for the governor, you're inviting him to come here. Would you go to where the secretary is to demand the money, or do you-
Governor Hochul: I'll go anywhere to pick up a check.
Question: So will you go today to - I don't know where the press conference was, but I don't know if you're going to go -
Governor Hochul: If he's got a check, I'll be there.
Question: Mayor Mamdani, do you want to talk about what this means for the NYPD in practical numbers?
Mayor Mamdani: This is the kind of funding that supports certified bomb squads across the entirety of New York State, and also here in New York City. And it is funding that affects NYPD, FDNY, NYCEM [and] emergency preparedness across the board. And that is what is so galling about this, is we're not speaking about money that could be used to some potential benefit.
This is exactly the kinds of operations and equipment that are critical, and they are critical on a day-to-day basis. And we've seen our departments utilize these to life-saving effect. You know, Commissioner Farrell, if you just want to come out here and share a little bit from the perspective of NYCEM of what this actually looks like.
Question: Beyond the abstract, does it mean budget lines cut, people laid off and why is no one from the NYPD here?
Mayor Mamdani: As the mayor of the city, I'm here, and I represent all of our departments in doing so. And in terms of the tangible to the PD, this is a cut that will then impact our ability to have bomb squads here in New York City, at the level that we have today.
Christina Farrell, Commissioner, New York City Emergency Management: Hi. So, on emergency management, to start with, 110 of our staff members are funded through the Urban Security Initiative, and those are obviously across all of our departments. Many reporters have been in watch command. You've seen the work that Notify NYC does, the wireless emergency alerts that we send out when we have any type of man-made or natural disaster. Much of that is funded.
We do many large exercises, as Commissioner O'Leary said, with the state, with all of our partners across the region, including other states. We did that for the summer. We do that for hurricanes. We do that for terrorism and other things. Looking at the city's stockpile, looking at our logistics program, every bit of emergency management is funded through this money.
And if it doesn't come, we're working with management and budget in the city with dishes, but there will be serious impacts on the way that we prepare New Yorkers and how we manage large-scale emergencies.
Question: On Secretary Mullin's presser, which you called both a distraction and BS during this press conference, he says that they've arrested 2,100 criminal illegals who were here. I'm quoting him. Do you have any knowledge of these people? Are they, in fact, criminals, have committed crimes, is just their paperwork out of order? And is it fair to call it BS if, in fact, these are criminals who were here?
Governor Hochul: No, no. There is no way that that number constitutes people who have committed crimes the way we consider a crime a crime in New York State. They consider anybody who crossed the border a criminal. So don't fall for that. That's what I'm calling out. Do not fall for that. There are different statistics, and I can get them for you. Sometimes it's four out of five people who are being detained as criminals have no criminal record at all, zero. Their crime is being here. Their crime is being a healthcare worker in Brooklyn. Their crime is being a pizzeria worker in Nassau County. Their crime is being a high school student. Their crime is their existence in the Trump administration's eyes. And I'm not buying that. I'm not buying that.
Especially those like Venezuelans who came here [and] walked through the door with a legal document that says you are welcome here, the Haitians and others, people from Afghanistan. Temporary Protected Status meant our government said you can come here. And now, all of a sudden, you take that out of their hands, and now they're criminals? I encourage the press to question that as well.
