In the wake of last week’s domestic terror attack in Jersey City against the Jewish community, today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) lauded the passage of $90 Million he had requested for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) in the FY2020 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. NSGP is a critical funding stream which helps protect non-profit organizations from acts of terrorism, extremism, and other targeted violence. The funding passed on the House floor today is a record high level for this program.

Reps. Pascrell and Peter King (R-NY-02) last week led a letter calling for the NSGP to be funded at $90 million, citing “the rise of hate groups in our nation, the record of threats facing members of our community, and the FBIs continued concern about domestic violent extremism” as evidence that NSGP resources must be increased.

“FBI Director Chris Wray testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on October 30, 2019 that ‘Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs) are the greatest, most immediate terrorism threat to the homeland’ and ‘domestic violent extremists collectively pose a steady threat of violence to the United States,’” the lawmakers wrote in their appropriations letter. “Director Wray noted that underlying drivers for domestic violent extremism include racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia and that the threat remains constant. The FBI is ‘most concerned’ by lone actor shootings because they have primarily served as the dominant lethal type of domestic violent extremist attacks. In recent years, more deaths were caused by domestic violent extremists than international terrorists.”

The success of Pascrell’s and King’s letter comes one week after an anti-Semitic terrorist attack claimed the lives of several residents of Hudson County and Police Detective Joseph Seals. Rep. Pascrell has been the foremost advocate in Congress for greater scrutiny of right-wing and other domestic extremist groups and a longtime proponent of increased funding for the NSGP.

The Members’ full letter can be viewed here, the text of which appears below.

December 13, 2019

The Honorable Nita Lowey                                        The Honorable Kay Granger

Chairwoman                                                                Ranking Member

The House Committee on Appropriations                  The House Committee on Appropriations

H-307, The Capitol                                                     1016 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515                                              Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard                        The Honorable Chuck Fleischmann
Chairwoman                                                                Ranking Member
Subcommittee on Homeland Security                        Subcommittee on Homeland Security
House Appropriations Committee                              House Appropriations Committee

2006 Rayburn House Office Building                        1016 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515                                              Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairwomen Lowey and Roybal-Allard and Ranking Members Granger and Fleischmann:

Thank you for your work in helping to ensure additional resources for the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Additionally, we appreciate that funding in the 2020 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act (H.R. 3931) for NSGP was increased. Funding the NSGP program is critical to protecting communities across our nation from threats. As you finalize appropriations for FY20, we respectfully ask you to fund the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) at $50 million and State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP) NSGP at $40 million.

The NSGP provides critical funding to support physical security enhancements to nonprofit organizations that are at high risk of a terrorist attack. The program has improved efforts to keep nonprofit organizations safe by promoting emergency preparedness coordination and collaboration activities between public and private community representatives as well as state and local government agencies. Since today’s threat environment continues to evolve quickly, the NSGP helps nonprofits plan for and ready themselves against a terrorist attack.

FBI Director Chris Wray testified before the House Homeland Security Committee on October 30, 2019 that “Homegrown Violent Extremists (HVEs) are the greatest, most immediate terrorism threat to the homeland” and “domestic violent extremists collectively pose a steady threat of violence to the United States.”[i] Director Wray noted that underlying drivers for domestic violent extremism include racism, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia and that the threat remains constant. The FBI is “most concerned” by lone actor shootings because they have primarily served as the dominant lethal type of domestic violent extremist attacks.[ii] In recent years, more deaths were caused by domestic violent extremists than international terrorists.

At least 12 white supremacists have been arrested for allegedly attacking, planning attacks against or threatening the Jewish community in the year since the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue building in Pittsburgh, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).[iii] The same report notes that white supremacists have targeted Jewish institutions’ on at least 50 occasions since October 27, 2018. These attacks appear to have been inspired by previous attacks. “From the Poway synagogue attack to a religious service interrupted by shouts of 'Heil Hitler,' white supremacists have presented very real threats to Jews across the country,” the ADL Center on Extremism research has found.[iv]

Other reporting supports this growing concern. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the number of hate groups in the United States has increased by 30 percent over the past four years and has risen to the highest level in at least 20 years. Recent incidents targeting synagogues, churches, mosques, and other religious centers and nonprofit organizations include shooting and mass shooting, arson and fire bombing, attempted bombing, assault, death threats, hoaxes, vandalism, and property damage. These incidents illustrate the many credible threats against nonprofit institutions across the country and must be taken seriously.

With the rise of hate groups in our nation, the record of threats facing members of our community, and the FBIs continued concern about domestic violent extremism, now more than ever Congress needs to strengthen the NSGP program. For these reasons, we respectfully request you fund the UASI NSGP at $50 million and SHSGP NSGP at $40 million in the final FY20 appropriations bill. These funds help ensure our nation does all it can to prevent direct threats to our communities and protect at-risk nonprofit institutions from these grave threats.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,

_________________________                                  _________________________

Bill Pascrell, Jr.                                                          Peter King

Member of Congress                                                  Member of Congress

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[i] https://www.fbi.gov/news/testimony/global-terrorism-threats-to-the-homeland-103019?utm_campaign=email-Immediate&utm_medium=email&utm_source=congressional-testimony&utm_content=%5B763937%5D-%2Fnews%2Ftestimony%2Fglobal-terrorism-threats-to-the-homeland-103019

[ii] Ibid

[iii] https://www.adl.org/blog/one-year-after-the-tree-of-life-attack-american-jews-face-significant-threats

[iv] Ibid

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