HARTFORD– Amid heightened concerns about the safety and security of the American Jewish community following this weekend’s attacks on Israel, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), and Shelley Moore Capito (R- W.Va.) on Tuesday called for additional funding for FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to be included in any supplemental funding package Congress may consider. The NSGP, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, provides funding support for target hardening and other physical security enhancements to nonprofit organizations, including synagogues and other places of worship, that are at high risk of terrorist attack.

“The horrific images and videos we are seeing out of Israel are unspeakable, and I am doing everything in my power to ensure Israel gets the support it needs to defend itself. As Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, I am also focused on making sure our Jewish community at home is protected from a potential rise in anti-Semitic threats. As Congress considers emergency supplemental legislation in the coming weeks, we must include increased funding for DHS’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program to help safeguard the Jewish Community here at home,” said Murphy.

“The barbaric attacks on innocent children, women, and men in Israel are heartbreaking and stomach-turning. Now more than ever, we must be unequivocally strong in our response and unreservedly clear in our purpose. As I work with colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the days, weeks, and months ahead to ensure Israel has everything it needs to defend itself with overwhelming force, we must also vigilantly guard against terrorism and the forces of hate here at home. I support robust funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to help secure our homeland and keep our families, places of worship, and communities safe,” said Britt. 

“The harrowing images coming out of Israel and the rising toll of confirmed deaths and number of civilians being held hostage by Hamas -- including American citizens -- are devastating and remind us that we cannot ignore the rise in antisemitism around the world or here at home. It’s crucial that we take every precaution to keep all of our religious communities safe. In addition to providing security assistance to Israel, Congress should increase funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which provides important resources to safeguard nonprofits that are at an increased risk of violence, including Jewish houses of worship and other religious-affiliated groups across the country,” said Booker.

“The hearts of all Americans are shattered after seeing Hamas’s deadly terrorist attacks on Israel. As we witness a surge in antisemitic activity worldwide, we must make sure that Jewish Americans are protected from the threat of antisemitism,” said Rosen. “As co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, I’m working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to increase funding for the life-saving Nonprofit Security Grant Program. This critical funding ensures that synagogues, community centers, and other nonprofits have the resources needed to protect themselves from targeted violence.”

“Throughout my time on the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I have seen and learned about the need so many have for funds through this program. Ensuring its inclusion in a supplemental further confirms our commitment to the safety and security for communities of faith, particularly synagogues across the nation that are too often the target of threats,” said Capito.

Earlier this year, Murphy urged his colleagues to work with him to secure a boost to NSGP funding as a response to a rise in anti-Semitism.  On Saturday, Murphy released a statement on Hamas’ attacks on Israel. Murphy also called for the swift confirmation of key State Department officials in the Middle East to ensure the United States can best support Israel.

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