WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, released the following statement on President Biden’s request for supplemental funding to support domestic priorities and address urgent needs.

“It is possible for Congress to both support Ukraine and Israel while also tackling the major, pressing challenges here at home. President Biden’s supplemental request would provide funding to address the urgent needs of families and local communities in Connecticut and across the country.

“This request includes a new batch of federal dollars to help keep child care costs low for families, while ensuring childcare providers can keep their doors open. It would also bolster our federal response to the fentanyl crisis that has devastated so many communities by providing life-saving overdose prevention and recovery services. Additionally, this request includes emergency disaster funding to help Connecticut farms that were hit hard by historic flooding this summer.

“In the wake of the Hamas attacks on Israel, we have seen a disturbing rise in anti-Semitism and Islamophobia here at home. I have been calling for an immediate increase in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and I’m glad this request includes $200 million to help ensure synagogues, mosques, and other religious institutions have the resource they need to feel secure. As a member of the Appropriations Committee, I will fight to make sure this funding becomes a reality.”

Earlier this month, Murphy led a bipartisan group of senators in calling for additional funding for FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to be included in any supplemental funding package Congress may consider.

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