Funding freeze puts safety of Denverites at risk
The City and County of Denver announced it has joined other cities in suing the Trump Administration over the freezing of federal funds intended to protect cities from large-scale security threats like nuclear or terrorist attacks.
In Denver, this funding has previously been used to conduct security sweeps and monitor critical infrastructure for everything from President Biden’s visit to Denver in Nov. 2023 to a rally held by President Trump in Aurora in Oct. 2024 to concerts at Red Rocks, sports games, and parades.
Equipment funded through the program, Securing the Cities, is used in routine daily operations by Denver Police, Denver Fire, Denver Health and Hospital Authority, and Colorado State Patrol. The Trump Administration has not provided reasoning for why the funding was paused.
“National security is not a Democratic or Republican issue. It’s an American one, and losing this funding makes America less safe,” said Mayor Mike Johnston. “You wouldn’t think we would need to go to federal court to explain why it’s important to protect citizens from terrorism, but here we are.”
Denver has paused all new expenditures except paying staff since the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the freeze on May 14. This means the city has been forced to cancel critical training for operational partners and that it cannot repair broken equipment used to detect nuclear or radiological materials. It also means a mobile-security unit designed to monitor events for risks to public safety is sitting in storage instead of being used in the field.
Securing the Cities was first established in 2007 in response to the terror attacks of 9/11. The latest expansion of the program, of which Denver was a part, was passed into law by Congress and signed by President Trump himself in 2018.
Denver is one of thirteen cities and counties that Homeland Security deems to be at an elevated risk of sustaining terror attacks. This designation is because Denver is home to a high volume of special events which draw large crowds, a concentration of federal and military facilities, and because it is a major transportation hub with several interstates. Additionally, Denver International Airport, one of the busiest in the world, adds to the region’s exposure due to its heavy air traffic and passenger volume.
Denver and other cities are suing the Trump Administration on the grounds that the President is again overstepping his authority in freezing funds appropriated by Congress. This is Denver’s third lawsuit against the Trump Administration. Recently, the city was granted a perliminary injunction in a case involving threats to revoke hundreds of millions of dollars in transportation funding if Denver did not comply with the administration’s stance on DEI and immigration enforcement.
Source: City and County of Denver
