Witnesses urge immediate release of nonprofit security grant funds and raise concerns about CP3 staffing

Lawmakers and witnesses at the House Homeland Security subcommittee hearing urged the immediate release of nonprofit security grant funds Congress has appropriated and called for increasing that funding to meet sharply higher security needs for houses of worship, schools and community centers.

"There are nearly half a billion dollars that the administration is withholding in nonprofit security grant funds," Representative Goldman said, citing roughly $210 million from fiscal 2024 not yet awarded and about $274 million for fiscal 2025 that has not been made available.

Orin Siegel of the Anti-Defamation League and Julie Raymond of the American Jewish Committee said demand has surged and that many Jewish organizations will need to increase security costs following recent violent incidents. "That will cost money," Raymond said, and she urged Congress to provide at least $500,000,000 for the FEMA-administered nonprofit security grant program.

Members also questioned administration staffing decisions at DHS's Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships (CP3). Representative Magaziner and other members said the administration installed Thomas Fugate as director and characterized him in testimony as a 22-year-old with no counterterrorism or law enforcement experience; witnesses expressed concern that CP3's staffing and resourcing appear to have been reduced even as the need for prevention programming has risen.

Witnesses urged Congress to restore and expand funding for both protective security grants and violence-prevention programs and to ensure resources reach communities beyond Jewish institutions. The subcommittee did not pass any funding measures at the hearing but asked witnesses to provide follow-up material for committee consideration.