Minnesota church shooting: Did Trump administration cuts weaken security?

Representative image (Picture credit: AP)

Weeks before a gunman opened fire at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 18 others, the Trump administration cut funding for a Minnesota program intended to prevent acts of mass violence, according to documents cited by the New York Times.In July, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced $18.5 million in spending cuts from the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3). About $700,000 of that funding had been allocated to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) for roles aimed at preventing targeted violence and terrorism. DPS Commissioner Bob Jacobson wrote to the state’s congressional delegation at the time that “without this funding, our capacity to protect our communities from targeted violence and terrorism will be significantly diminished.”DPS spokesperson Jill Oliveira was quoted as saying by the New York Times that since the cuts, the agency had cancelled a statewide training conference and redirected resources to cover costs. Previous CP3 funding, she said, supported training for law enforcement, schools, and faith institutions in threat prevention. The Trump administration argued the program was misused. In its letter to Minnesota authorities, DHS said CP3 grants were “no longer in line” with its priorities, citing immigration enforcement, border security and combating antisemitism. A Homeland Security official said in a statement that CP3 had been used for “left-wing ideologies and did next to nothing to combat actual threats.” The official also said that many grants had gone to groups that “celebrated and encouraged transgenderism in children,” a remark that drew criticism from Democrats.The cuts also impacted the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, which had received about $100,000 for multidisciplinary threat-assessment work, according to CNN. A former DHS employee told the outlet the Minneapolis attack was “100% preventable. This was exactly the kind of event we could have stopped.”The assailant, Robin Westman, left behind journals expressing surprise at evading detection. “Should be harder for people like me to carry out these attacks,” he wrote, as reported by CNN.In one journal entry, he wrote, “I have been showing signs for a while. I need to be stopped! … If I did something, they would say it was obvious in hindsight.”Jacob Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, was quoted as saying by CNN that “the capacity to combat domestic terrorism is eroding. It seems like the focus on prevention has slipped in this country.”Minnesota lawmakers criticised the decision. Sen. Tina Smith said, “This shooting was horrific, and to think we had a strategy in place aimed at preventing this type of violence is tragic.” Rep. Betty McCollum added that cancelling the grant “limits our state law enforcement from access to vital federal counterterrorism partners and resources and leaves Minnesota communities more vulnerable.”The attack followed an earlier June assassination plot that killed a state representative and her husband and wounded a senator and his wife, events that further fuel concerns about weakened prevention efforts.After the shooting, US First Lady Melania Trump urged more proactive measures, posting on X, “To prevent future tragedies, it is crucial we look into behavioural threat assessments across all levels of society … Being aware of these warning signs and acting quickly can save lives and make American communities safer.”