Pols join push as law could stiff city
has been reimbursed for other national events, like the 2004 Republican National Convention.
But in a possible foreshadowing of problems down the road, a separate letter to Congress, which must approve security funding for the city, notes that the city is ineligible for payment under the Presidential Protection Act of 1976.
That act only covers jurisdictions with a population of less than 7,000, and reimbursements are capped at $300,000 — which wouldn’t even buy a studio apartment in most parts of the city.
Officials said they will fight to have the law changed.
The letter to Congress includes a rundown of some of the costs associated with guarding Trump, including screening checkpoints, extra traffic agents and motorcade protection for the future First Family.
Two lanes of traffic have been shut down on Fifth Ave., and a police pen is blocking a bus lane. The stretch of 56th St. near Trump Tower has been closed to vehicles altogether.
De Blasio’s comments come shortly after a half-dozen New York City members of Congress sent a letter to him and Gov. Cuomo saying they should refuse to pay to help Trump keep his family in Trump Tower while he’s President, citing both the big price tag for the protection and the traffic jams it’s creating in Midtown.
“Municipal or state resources should not be subsidizing the President-elect’s decision to maintain multiple permanent residences,” the letter spearheaded by Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-N.Y.) reads.
The head of the City Council Transportation Committee is also ready for Trump to move on.
“Midtown traffic has become a parking lot from all the security and visitors this area has drawn,” Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan) said.
Rodriguez suggested Trump could decamp to one of his other properties. “I hear that Florida is a great way to escape the cold weather,” he said.
O’Neill said that postinauguration costs for Trump’s family haven’t been worked out yet with the Secret Service. Trump’s wife, Melania, and son Barron plan to continue to live in Manhattan until the end of the school year.