Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, violence shattered communities across the country this weekend, making it a very sad one for this Nation.

First, on Friday night in Milwaukee, 21 people were injured in a mass shooting as the city hosted the NBA playoffs. Then, on Saturday, a gunman who posted a manifesto online espousing violent white supremacist viewpoints drove 2 hours to a grocery store in a predominantly Black area of Buffalo and opened fire on customers, killing 10 innocent people. Finally, yesterday, in Laguna Woods, California, an armed intruder burst into a predominantly Taiwanese Christian congregation meeting in a Presbyterian church, killing one congregant and critically wounding four others.

Today, we mourn with these communities and families who were rocked by this violence, but we also must continue asking tough questions about what is fueling such racially motivated violent extremism.

Just months ago, FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress domestic terrorism is metastasizing through this country and was not going away any time soon. The intelligence community has recently warned that racially motivated violent extremism poses the most lethal domestic terrorism threat.

While Americans may not see eye-to-eye on what factors contribute to the current threat landscape, there seems to be general agreement that public spaces, in general, and houses of worship, in particular, need to be more secure.

That is where the Nonprofit Security Grant Program comes in. This grant program is incredibly important to at-risk nonprofits that need to bolster their security against mass shootings and terrorism threats.

In 2020, I was proud to author legislation that was enacted into law to authorize this program. Today, I am here in support of H.R. 6825, legislation I introduced in the wake of a terrorist attack on a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, to expand the availability of crucial funding to more at-risk nonprofits and improve the program's operations.

My legislation, Mr. Speaker, does so by increasing the authorization for funding to $500 million annually through fiscal year 2028 and by establishing a dedicated program office.

This past February, the National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin stated: ``Threats directed at historically Black colleges and universities and other colleges and universities, Jewish facilities, and churches cause concern and may inspire extremist threat actors to mobilize to violence.''

With each passing day, the list of potential targets for mass violence seems to expand, and FEMA has already told us that even with funding for the program increasing roughly three-fold in just a few short years, the demand for funding is still outpacing available funding. The additional resources provided under my bill will help FEMA do more to help more at-risk nonprofits.

Importantly, H.R. 6825 requires FEMA to provide outreach, engagement, and technical support to nonprofits, with particular attention to eligible at-risk nonprofits in underserved communities.

As was mentioned before, in recent days, questions have arisen about how FEMA plans to bring new at-risk nonprofits into the program, a goal that many of us support.

I strongly believe that with the enhanced funding that Congress provides in this year's appropriations, FEMA can expand the program's reach while preserving funding to existing grantees that continue to be at risk.

To that end, together with my colleague, Mr. Pascrell, I am engaging FEMA about its approach, and I look forward to resolving it.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to my colleagues' support in passing this critical legislation.

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