DC Mayor: Trump’s ‘Salute to America’ event bankrupted Washington DC’s security fund

President Donald Trump and members of his administration kept quiet about the costs of the “Salute to America” Independence Day celebration he hosted in Washington D.C. last week, divulging nothing to the press or Congress about the price tag for the event.

But now that a few days have passed, it seems some of the costs, though not all of them, are finally coming to light.

Washington D.C. was responsible for providing much of the security that went into the event. More than $1.7 million from D.C.’s own coffers were spent, while other costs were incurred during the weekend after, as protesters in favor of and against Trump both demonstrated in the city.

As a result, according to a letter from D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, the city’s security fund — which is designed to pay for protections against terrorist threats and other security at events during the year — is completely wiped out, and expected to be at a $6 million deficit by the end of September, The Washington Post reported.

“We ask for your help with ensuring the residents of the District of Columbia are not asked to cover millions of dollars of federal expenses and are able to maintain our high standards of protection for federal events,” Bowser wrote. She added that Trump has not yet paid back the district for expenses stemming from his inauguration ceremony, which total more than $7 million as well.

Much of the costs of the July 4 event have yet to come out, although other figures are being highlighted slowly but surely. As NPR reported, for instance, $1.2 million of extra spending from the Pentagon went to the event, which came from a fund dedicated toward personnel training budgets. More than $2.5 million was moved from the National Parks service budget to help pay for the event as well.

Many lawmakers and observers expect there to be a much higher price tag when all the numbers are tallied up. It was estimated that an event Trump had in mind for last year’s Veterans Day would have cost more than $92 million, Vox reported. When knowledge of the price of that military parade become public, Trump was pressured into canceling the event.

In a tweet he wrote on July 3, Trump promised costs for his “Salute to America” would be “very little” compared to what it is worth.

Featured image via screen grab/TODAY

Chris Walker

Chris Walker is a freelance news and opinion writer based out of Madison, Wisconsin. With more than 15 years of experience, Chris has published work that spans three separate presidencies. In his free time, Chris likes to pretend he can play guitar.