A DON DEAL
CONGRESS reached a bipartisan budget deal Sunday night, averting a dreaded government shutdown and allocating money to reimburse New York City for protecting Trump Tower, officials said.
The agreement creates a $68 million protection package, the bulk of which the city will likely split with Florida, the site of Mar-a-Lago in Palm Springs, President Trump’s home away from home.
Along with budget debate over military spending, border security and funding for Trump’s controversial wall between the U.S. and Mexico was negotiation over the cost of protecting Trump’s Midtown home and headquarters.
New York lawmakers have been calling on the federal government for months to reimburse and make future payments for the approximately $146,000 it costs the city per day to secure the tower. Although Trump has been away from New York since his Jan. 20 inauguration, his wife, Melania, and 10-year-old son Barron still live there.
House and Senate votes on the deal are scheduled for Friday.
“This agreement is a good agreement for the American people, and takes the threat of a government shutdown off the table,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who along with Rep. Nita Lowey (D-Westchester) sought reimbursement for the First Family’s protection.
“The bill ensures taxpayer dollars aren’t used to fund an ineffective border wall, excludes poison pill riders, and increases investments in programs that the middle-class relies on, like medical research, education and infrastructure,” said Schumer (D-N.Y.). “Early on in this debate, Democrats clearly laid out our principles. At the end of the day, this is an agreement that reflects those principles.”
A day earlier, Schumer said New York City should refuse to provide police protection for the First Lady and Barron Trump unless Congress agreed to foot the bill.
The $68 million would include reimbursements for pre- and post-inauguration protection. New York City and other places that have hosted the President have to apply for the funds.
The compromise budget deal would fund the government through September, the end of the fiscal year.
“This is not the bill that any of us would have written individually — it is the product of compromise,” Lowey said of the spending plan, officially known as the Omnibus Appropriations Act.
“Critical to New York, I am pleased the omnibus provides $68 million to reimburse law enforcement agencies for costs incurred helping to protect President Trump and the First Family.
Highlights of the package include $15 billion in new defense spending to fight terrorism, and $1.5 billion in new border security spending to repair infrastructure and improve technology.
The budget does not allocate any new money to a southern border wall with Mexico. Also off the table is a rider blocking sanctuary cities like New York City from getting new grant funding, and a funding cut for Planned Parenthood.
The full details of the legislation were expected to be released early Monday. Congress must pass the new package by Friday, when a stopgap lawmakers approved last week runs out.
Trump is expected to visit Manhattan this week, his first trip home as commander-in—chief, and will host a celebration Thursday at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.