Judge blocks federal cuts to NYC transit security
A U.S. district judge on Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order preventing the federal government from diverting or withdrawing $34 million in Rail and Transit Security Grant Program money intended to protect New York City's transportation system. New York sued DHS and FEMA, alleging the administration sought to punish the city for failing to cooperate with a deportation program; Judge Lewis A. Kaplan and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch were quoted as saying the cuts would leave the city meaningfully less safe.
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🔍 Key Facts
- U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan granted a temporary restraining order blocking diversion/withdrawal of $34 million in transit counterterrorism funds.
- Plaintiff: State of New York sued the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, alleging the funds were being diverted as punishment related to immigration-enforcement disagreements.
- NYPD context: the administration also cut NYPD counterterrorism funding from about $90 million to nearly $10 million, which city officials say would endanger public safety.