Governor Maura Healey is calling on the Trump administration to restore nearly $7 million in federal funds for public safety that were abruptly cut last weekend.
Healey’s office said the loss in funding from the Homeland Security Grant Program “jeopardizes Massachusetts’ ability to equip local emergency services and safeguard critical infrastructure against terrorist threats and other emergencies.”
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has joined a coalition of 12 attorneys general in a lawsuit to stop the administration from taking the funds, which they say are being diverted away from states that don’t support the president’s immigration enforcement policies.
“President Trump is playing politics with our public safety, and he’s using these funding cuts to punish those who disagree with him,” Healey said in a statement Monday. “He needs to restore the funding that we are owed.”
The Homeland Security Grant Program allocates approximately $1 billion in funds annually for state and municipal efforts to prevent, prepare, and respond to acts of terrorism, Campbell’s office said.
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The grants are distributed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which on Saturday granted $226 million to the states that are now suing the government, a 51 percent reduction from the total amount FEMA previously said it would provide, according to Campbell’s office.
Joining the lawsuit were attorneys general from Illinois, New Jersey, California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Delaware, Minnesota, New York, Vermont, Washington, and the District of Columbia.
Massachusetts was hit with a 31 percent reduction in funds, or about $6.9 million, which was then redistributed to other states, Campbell’s office said.
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“We will fight the Trump Administration’s illegal attempt to strong-arm states into complying with its cruel immigration agenda by depriving them of lifesaving funding that helps prepare for and respond to disasters and emergencies,” Campbell said in a statement.
“I won’t allow this Administration to play politics with the safety and security of our residents.”
Healey’s office said the “politically motivated cuts” disrupt “decades of bipartisan practice treating all states equitably in disaster preparedness.”
“President Trump and Secretary Noem just made every community in Massachusetts and in states across the country less safe,” Healey said. “Our cities and towns use this grant funding to keep their residents safe from threats and support law enforcement.”
State officials said the cuts will affect the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, which distributes information about potential threats to local, state, and federal public safety agencies, as well as funds for protective equipment, training, and exercises such as Active Shooter Response.
Past grants from the DHS program have supported “rapid deployment robots and situational awareness drones for fire services, mobile emergency operations equipment for MEMA, dive team gear for the State Police Marine Unit, and advanced training programs for Massport Fire Rescue,” Healey’s office said.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.