WASHINGTON — D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser penned a letter to President Donald Trump on Monday urging him to reimburse the city for resources and support provided to federal government.
Bowser said events such as the 2017 presidential inauguration and the Salute to America Fourth of July festivities, cost the city around $9 million in total.
"As Mayor of Washington, D.C., my greatest responsibility is to provide for the safety of our residents and national visitors, as well as to lead the region in performing the unique task of providing daily security to our federal leaders and facilitating security at large national events such as the Presidential Inauguration," Bowser wrote.
The mayor said recent official estimates project the city's emergency fund is in the hole $6 million and is partly attributed to increased demands for heightened security and a $7.3 million price tag for security at Trump's inauguration ceremony.
Bowser said Congress did provide $13 million over the last few years to cover D.C.'s emergency fund, however, the city's annual expenses add up to nearly $16.5 million.
D.C. officials project the expenses from the July 4 activities on the National Mall ($1.7 million) will deplete the city's budget and leave zero funding for the remainder of the year.
"As we continue to gather estimates for the next Inauguration, we ask for your help with ensuring the residents of the District of Columbia are not asked to cover millions of dollars of federal expenses and are able to maintain our high standards of protection for federal events," Bowser said.
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As of Tuesday morning, Trump has not publicly responded to Bowser's request.
We will update this story as more information becomes available.
Read the full letter below:
Dear President Trump:
As Mayor of Washington, D.C., my greatest responsibility is to provide for the safety of our residents and national visitors, as well as to lead the region in performing the unique task of providing daily security to our federal leaders and facilitating security at large national events such as the Presidential Inauguration.
As we prepare D.C.'s budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021, I want to highlight certain funding pressures the District anticipates within the Emergency Planning and Security Fund (EPSF) through FY 2021, and ask for your commitment to reimburse the District for our public safety support to the federal government.
Recent estimates by the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) project that the EPSF will be depleted before the end of FY 2019, leaving overages of over $6 million. These overages can be attributed to declining reserves, increased demand for heightened security, and a one-time draw down of $7.3 million to cover security costs associated with the 2017 Presidential Inauguration.
This large, one-time cost has been compounded by Congress only appropriating approximately $13 million to the EPSF for the past few years (when our annual expenditures near $16.5 million), and some unplanned large events such as the state funeral for the late President George H.W. Bush.
Considering this accruing deficit, our projections indicate that the EPSF will be depleted following your additional July 4th holiday activities and subsequent first amendment demonstrations. The accrued amount for the July 4th holiday totals approximately $1.7 million. It is critical that the EPSF is fully reimbursed for these funds to ensure the District can uphold proper security and support during the remainder of the fiscal year without incurring a deficit for federal activities.
As we continue to gather estimates for the next Inauguration, we ask for your help with ensuring the residents of the District of Columbia are not asked to cover millions of dollars of federal expenses and are able to maintain our high standards of protection for federal events.
Sincerely,
Muriel Bowser Mayor