By Staff Reporter
WASHINGTON — A year after President Donald Trump promised to reverse cuts to New York’s counterterrorism grants, the state is still owed $87 million. Among the programs waiting on that money is the one Erie County says keeps police radios and in-car connections working across Buffalo, Erie and Niagara counties.
Thirteen members of New York’s House delegation, led by Rep. Tim Kennedy of Buffalo, sent a letter dated Oct. 9 to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton. It asks for the remaining fiscal 2025 Homeland Security Grant Program money to be released immediately. Mr. Kennedy’s office made the letter public on Oct. 13.
All 13 signers are Democrats. None of the state’s Republican House members signed, including Rep. Nick Langworthy, whose district includes the Southern Tier and part of Erie County.
How the money went missing
The dispute dates to September 2025. That month, the Department of Homeland Security issued award notices that cut New York’s share of the grant program by 86%, or $187 million. That left the state about $30 million, compared with roughly $220 million in fiscal 2024, according to the letter.
The letter says Mr. Trump committed in October 2025 to restoring the money in full. Later, after a court order in a multistate lawsuit, Noem v. Illinois, the administration released $100 million. The remaining $87 million is still outstanding.
The program was created after the Sept. 11 attacks. It funds bomb squads, tactical and hazmat teams, intelligence sharing, training and equipment. Most of the money is passed through the state to counties, cities and sheriffs.
“One year ago, President Trump promised to restore New York counterterrorism funding in full after slashing the state’s allocation by nearly 90 percent. Yet today, DHS refuses to release $87 million that is still missing,” Mr. Kennedy said. “DHS’s refusal to restore $87 million for the state is not just reckless – it poses a direct threat to public safety.”
Rep. Pat Ryan of the Hudson Valley, who also signed, said in his own statement: “Now, a year later, we’re demanding Trump deliver the rest of what’s rightly ours.”
What it means in Western New York
Neither the letter nor the press releases break the $87 million down by county. Earlier state figures give a sense of what is at stake.
When the cuts were first announced, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office published a county-by-county table for the State Homeland Security Program, the part of the grant that reaches every county. Erie County received $1,879,306 under that program in fiscal 2024. Niagara County received $418,135. Under the original fiscal 2025 cut, Erie was projected to get $177,993 and Niagara $39,602.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said then that the program pays for basic gear. “The State Homeland Security Grant Program funds the cellular equipment needed for every single police vehicle in Buffalo, Erie and Niagara County to function, as well as radio communications across the region,” Mr. Poloncarz said in the governor’s release.
The state’s homeland security commissioner, Terence O’Leary, put the remaining shortfall in that county-level program at about $37.6 million at a Sept. 1 news conference with Ms. Hochul. “That funding goes to every county throughout New York State to help with preparedness efforts, to help with equipment, to help with response efforts,” Mr. O’Leary said, according to the official transcript.
The politics of a security grant
The letter makes a case about track record. It says New York grantees spent 99.6% of their awarded funds across the last seven completed grant cycles, which it calls evidence that the money is “spent responsibly, effectively, and with purpose.”
It also notes that the October 2025 promise to restore the money came “following fierce advocacy from federal and state elected officials – Republican and Democrat alike.” That bipartisan pressure is missing from this latest letter.
Ms. Hochul has made the partisan point directly. At the Sept. 1 news conference, she said, “shame on the Republican members of Congress who know we’re dealing with this. They’re aware. And they never ever use their voices to speak up on behalf of keeping New York State safe.”
That is a sharp charge, and Republicans have not had their say in this round. The Buffalo Chronicle has asked Mr. Langworthy’s office whether he has pressed DHS on the remaining money and why he did not sign the letter. Neither DHS nor FEMA explained the holdback in any of the public statements reviewed for this story. The Buffalo Chronicle has asked both agencies for comment.
What to watch
There are several open questions for local officials. Has Erie County received its share of the $100 million already restored? How much of the remaining $87 million is owed to Erie and Niagara counties and the City of Buffalo? And have local agencies delayed equipment purchases, training or bomb-squad work while they wait?
The letter asks DHS to respond but sets no deadline. With the money tied up for more than a year, local departments are doing their planning without it.
Featured photo: Erie County Sheriff’s Headquarters, 10 Delaware Ave., Buffalo. Photo by Andre Carrotflower via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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