The Trump administration has announced significant cuts to federal security funding for Washington, D.C., even as President Donald Trump asserts that crime in the nation’s capital is “totally out of control.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), defended the move on Friday, framing it as part of a broader “recalibration of priorities.” The agency said the reductions reflect an evolving “threat landscape,” noting a shift from large-scale, coordinated attacks like 9/11 to smaller, less complex assaults that place greater risk on “soft targets and crowded spaces in urban areas.”
While other major U.S. cities—including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Jersey City, and San Francisco—will also see decreases in federal security grants, none face reductions as steep as those imposed on D.C.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
According to a 2016 report by the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, past federal security grants have funded a range of critical programs, including hazardous materials training, law enforcement recruitment, and upgrades to the city’s emergency communications fiber network.
The funding cuts come at a time of heightened debate over public safety in the capital, potentially impacting the city’s ability to maintain and strengthen its emergency preparedness infrastructure.
