US President Donald Trump said today that he had reversed his administration's decision to cut $187 million in New York state security funding, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
This move by the administration was described as "devastating" by New York Governor Kathy Hockle, the agency added.
"I am pleased to announce that I have reversed the cuts to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism for the City of New York and the State", Republican Trump wrote in a social media post.
Hackle, a Democrat who criticized the cuts, welcomed the reversal and said that the security budget cuts would have affected police and counterterrorism operations in the state.
"I am pleased that President Trump heard our voice and changed course (...) Thanks to our efforts, $187 million will be restored in strategic funding," Hockle said in a statement.
The grants were part of the Department of Homeland Security's grant program, which is overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and funds counterterrorism projects and emergency preparedness. FEMA did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
A federal judge in Rhode Island earlier this week blocked the Trump administration's $233 million cut in counterterrorism grants to Democratic-run states. Eleven states have sued over the last-minute changes to the grants.
To date, the U.S. government has frozen at least $28 billion for pro-Democrat cities and states, Reuters reported.