MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee as well as our neighbors to the south in Chicago want the federal authorities to provide more funding for an 'expected surge in security costs,' according to Bloomberg News.
Milwaukee is hosting the Republican National Convention in 2024, while Chicago is hosting the Democratic National Convention in 2024.
Without federal funding, the cities could experience a financial headache. Congressional delegations from their respective states of Wisconsin and Illinois want to obtain $75 million for each city in federal funding. That's compared to the $50 million each state is set to get currently. That number has not changed since 2004, though inflation certainly has.
Representatives and senators say the amount of federal funding should increase to reflect not only inflation but also heightened security costs.
Democratic and Republican host committees are trying to raise $70 million for each city from private donors, but that money would not likely be used to cover funding shortfalls due to increased security costs, Bloomberg reports.
That $50 million federal grant the cities have access to now was created following the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. But over the last two years, inflation has skyrocketed and violent crime has also increased in Milwaukee and Chicago. We also saw political protests turn violent like during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
In March a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Wisconsin wrote to a House Appropriations subcommittee to increase federal funding for host cities, arguing higher costs for equipment, supply change issues, temporary hires and insurance expenses.
According to Republican Representative Bryan Steil of Wisconsin, “Over the past 20 years, we have seen costs increase for policing... I’m committed to ensuring each host city has the resources they need for a safe and successful convention.”
According to Democrat Representative Gwen Moore of Wisconsin, who represents Milwaukee, she said she is worried about outdated equipment, citing as many as 4,500 temporary officers may be needed in addition to the about 1,600 in the Milwaukee Police Department.
Rep. Moore said, “We are asking only for $25 million more... That’s a rounding error in terms of the budget — but it means a whole lot in terms of our security.”
According to Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson in the Bloomberg interview, “I want to make sure the convention we have here in Milwaukee, the Republican National Convention, is a safe event, and there are costs to doing that... We don’t intend to spend our money on this.”
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