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New York City mayor to request $35M for Donald Trump security

By Andrew V. Pestano
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, seen here participating in the 72nd annual Columbus Day Parade in October, on Monday said he will send letters to President Barack Obama, Congress and administration officials to seek reimbursement for protecting President-elect Donald Trump. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, seen here participating in the 72nd annual Columbus Day Parade in October, on Monday said he will send letters to President Barack Obama, Congress and administration officials to seek reimbursement for protecting President-elect Donald Trump. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo

NEW YORK, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday said he will request $35 million -- nearly $500,000 a day -- from the federal government as reimbursement for protecting President-elect Donald Trump until the inauguration.

During a press conference, De Blasio said he would send letters to President Barack Obama, to Congress and to administration officials to "formally initiate" a reimbursement process for security expenditures from Nov. 8 until Jan. 20 -- Election Day and Inauguration Day, respectively.

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De Blasio said Steven Mnuchin, Trump's pick to lead the Department of Treasury, "fully understood that there was a real important discussion to be had on how we deal with reimbursement issues going forward."

It is unclear how much the cost of protecting Trump and New York City's Trump Tower will be after Trump moves into the White House, considering Trump's wife, Melania Trump, and their 10-year-old son, Barron Trump, are expected stay in New York at least until the end of the school year.

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Local law enforcement is required to assist all presidents when they return home during their tenures, but Trump's home in the most densely populated neighborhood of the United States' largest city is particularly expensive. CNN last month reported it cost $1 million a day to protect Trump.

"Municipal or state resources should not be subsidizing the president-elect's decision to maintain multiple permanent residences," De Blasio's letter, co-signed by several New York City politicians, reads. "For all these reasons, we respectfully request that New York City and the state refuse to pay additional security costs associated with maintaining a second residence at Trump Tower once the president-elect is inaugurated. Should the president-elect choose to maintain two permanent residences for his family, it is reasonable to request he reimburse the city and the state for all additional security expenses from his own significant personal financial resources."

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