By ,
Published January 13, 2015
Washington, D.C., is tearing through its homeland security funding in order to pay for recent anti-war protests, Mayor Tony Williams said Friday.
Williams said he may ask the federal government to help pick up the tab from recent protests.
On Friday, police arrested 13 protesters near the White House after they tied up traffic staging a die-in during rush hour.
Police were forced to restrict traffic to several surrounding blocks beyond the 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue intersection in order to prevent gridlock.
The protest was one of several that has been staged near the White House since January. Demonstrations have taken on greater frequency since the U.S. and British-led coalition began bombing Iraq nine days ago.
Currently, the federal government pays about $15 million to cover the costs related to demonstrations. That pays for everything from public safety to cleaning up debris on city streets.
Williams said he's working closely with Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich and Virginia Gov. Mark Warner to make sure the entire region gets enough money to cover the costs of homeland security.
Williams also said he is pleased with coordination between the city and the federal government, and has been advising the White House on how state and localities should spend their emergency preparedness money.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/d-c-mayor-war-protesters-costing-city