The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to drastically cut security funding for city mass transit and ports less than two weeks after a car bombing attempt in Times Square, said an AP report.

 

U.S. Rep. Peter King's office said the DHS would give the city $111 million for mass transit security, a 27 percent cut from last year's funding of $153 million. Port funding would also be cut by 25 percent, from $45 million to $34 million, his office said.

 

The DHS budget is expected to be officially announced today, but congressional staffers were briefed on the numbers ahead of the announcement, his office said. "The Times Square attempt served as a wake up call for many, but apparently not for the Obama Administration, which should be dramatically increasing New York City's homeland security funding, not decreasing it," King said in a statement. The Republican, who is the ranking member on the Committee on Homeland Security, said the Obama administration's decision was "dangerous and unconscionable."

 

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, a Democrat, said the cuts show that the administration is "not doing right by New York City on anti-terrorism funding" and urged it to reconsider. "Instead of distributing funding all over the country, they should focus their attention where the greatest threat exists, right here in New York," he said in a statement.