Grimm joins Dems Schumer and Gillibrand in bid to save NY’s anti-terror funds
An elite anti-terror unit at the Fort Hamilton Army Base could be disbanded by the Department of Defense, a trio of lawmakers is warning.
Bay Ridge’s Republican Rep Michael Grimm has joined with the state’s Democratic Senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, to call on the Department of Defense and the National Guard to do everything in their power to retain the two Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Teams (WMD-CSTs) located in New York, including one team at Fort Hamilton in Bay Ridge.
The WMD-CSTs provide support to civil authorities in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threat. Although the National Defense Authorization Act of 2013 permanently authorized the additional WMD-CST’s for New York, the DOD and the National Guard recently began preparations to stand down one of New York’s teams, Grimm said. He, Schumer, and Gillibrand stated that closing down one of the New York units would disregard clear congressional direction and possibly put New York at risk for potential terror threats.