Arlington officials are asking state legislators to fill financial gaps left by the federal government’s reduction in support for local counterterrorism initiatives.
The D.C. region stands to lose about $20 million in funding — 60% of which is devoted to Northern Virginia — as the Trump administration makes changes to the Urban Areas Security Initiative.
Some funding from that $550 million national program is being redirected away from urban areas to more rural localities nationwide.
Eliminating the funding could prove “catastrophic” to regional public-safety coordination, County Board member Susan Cunningham said at the Nov. 13 work session between Board members and the county’s legislative delegation.
She characterized the cuts as another attack by the Trump administration on the D.C. area.
“The federal government is clearly abdicating its responsibility,” Cunningham said.
At the meeting, county staff said the local “dream scenario” would be having the General Assembly replace the entire $20 million across the whole region. The backup request would be for the $12 million that Northern Virginia is losing.
The smaller amount of funding would result in “reducing things but not getting all the way to the bone,” Cunningham said.
Providing stopgap funding at the state level would benefit both the region and the commonwealth as a whole, Board member Maureen Coffey said in making a funding pitch to legislators.
“This is not an ask just for ourselves,” she said.
Board Chair Takis Karantonis said the funding does not only support efforts to combat terrorism. It also boosts regional cooperation on matters ranging from problems with water quality in the summer of 2024 to January’s deadly mid-air collision near Reagan National Airport.
“[It is] absolutely critical that our systems are in place” to address regional emergencies, Karantonis said.
At the roundtable discussion, Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-3) urged local leaders to connect with other impacted areas of the commonwealth so “you can make a much more effective argument” to the legislative committees dealing with appropriations.
The challenge for Northern Virginia jurisdictions: No other part of the commonwealth is slated to have a net decrease in funding from the federal program. Currently, the Hampton Roads area receives about $8.3 million in annual Urban Areas Security Initiative support, while the Richmond area gets about $3.5 million.
While Northern Virginia may be on its own seeking replacement funding, Arlington’s immediate neighbors “are working with us and are on board,” Cunningham said.
After outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) announces his proposed biennial budget in December, state legislators will have the opportunity to propose changes during the 60-day General Assembly session that starts Jan. 14. A final budget package is expected to land on the desk of incoming Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) sometime in the spring.
At the work session, legislators cautioned County Board members against expecting too much out of the 2026 session, especially in terms of new initiatives that would strain state budget resources.
Requests that cost money “will be a challenge” to get passed in Richmond, said Del. Patrick Hope (D-1).
