It’s been one year since the hostage crisis at a synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. In the aftermath of the attack, the 117th Congress made a large investment in the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. According to the Anti-Defamation League, violence motivated by hateful ideology is on the rise. The Department of Homeland Security has issued warnings that synagogues, mosques, churches, temples, and other houses of worship or religious gathering places are at an increased risk of violence by extremists. Please urge your colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to pass an FY-24 spending bill that funds the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $360 million so houses of worship can meet the rising threat of hate.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program provides faith-based communities with the resources to harden their spaces against rising physical and cyber threats. The grant program allows vulnerable populations to be better prepared for emergencies. In Colleyville, Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker utilized training funded by the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to escape an armed terrorist. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program saves lives and prevents tragedies.

To protect my house of worship and the gathering places of all faith-community members, I urge you to ask your colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to pass an FY-24 spending bill that funds the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $360 million.