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DC mayor claims Trump's 4th of July extravaganza bankrupted the city's anti-terror fund
Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

DC mayor claims Trump's 4th of July extravaganza bankrupted the city's anti-terror fund

She wants to federal government to foot the bill

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has written a letter claiming that President Dona'd Trump's "Salute to America" Fourth of July celebration, and his inauguration more than two years ago, had bankrupted the city's anti-terror fund.

What did she say?

In a letter to the president dated July 9 Bowser wrote that "[r]ecent estimates by the District's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA) project that the EPSF [the city's Emergency Planning and Security Fund] will be depleted before the end of FY 2019, leaving overages of over $6 million."

Bowser blamed this deficit, in part, on "a one-time draw down of $7.3 million to cover security costs associated with the 2017 Presidential Inauguration" and "some unplanned large events such as the state funeral for the late President George H.W. Bush." She also blamed Congress for "only appropriating approximately $13 million to the EPSF for the past few years."

She continued "[c]onsidering this accruing deficit, our projections indicate that the EPSF will be depleted following your additional July 4th holiday activities and subsequent first amendment demonstrations." In total, she said that these cost the city "approximately $1.7 million."

The EPSF is designated for security in the District, but the funding for it comes from the federal government. Bowser said it was "critical that the ESPF is fully reimbursed for these funds to ensure the District can uphold proper security and support during the fiscal year without incurring a deficit for federal activities."

The Pentagon estimated that the entire cost of the "Salute to America" for the military was around $1.2 million. Other departments have not yet released estimates for how much their contributions cost.

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