Pascrell Hails Massive $250 Million Funding to Protect Synagogues, Churches, and Houses of Worship Included in Omnibus Package

Pascrell has championed the Nonprofit Security Grant Program since its inception

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today lauded the inclusion of a titanic $250 million funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) in the new fiscal year 2022 omnibus government funding bill to be voted on later today. These federal funds help project houses of worship, a rise of nearly 40 percent for the critical program over the previous fiscal year. In February 2022, Pascrell led a bipartisan letter signed by 175 of his colleagues demanding a dramatic raise.

“The threat of domestic extremism continues to rise, especially against our Jewish communities, and threaten even city and town in the United States,” said Rep. Pascrell. “This level of funding signals our unrelentless focus to protect our most vulnerable populations. The entire world saw what happened in Colleyville, Texas just weeks ago. Absolutely no one should feel unsafe in church, in temple, a mosque, or in any house of worship. And no religious group should be forced to shoulder all its security cost without help. Just ten years ago our program was funded at a paltry $10 million. We have pushed virtually every day to increase funding to make it commensurate with the existing threat and to provide peace of mind to all Americans who go to synagogue, church, mosque, temple, or another house of worship. To that end, while this is a great victory, we will not rest on our laurels and continue seeking increased funding for this essential program in the months and years ahead. I would like to thank our coalition who supported this request for their work, as well as Chairs DeLauro and Roybal-Allard for their commitment to the safety of our communities.”

On February 23, Pascrell joined local community leaders in Passaic, New Jersey to stress the importance of Congress increasing NSGP funding to protect local synagogues and other houses of worship in North Jersey and across America.

Reps. Pascrell and John Katko (R-NY-24), the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee, have been leaders in the House to grow funding to protect houses of worship. On May 3, 2021, the two led 143 House members requesting that the NSGP program be funded at $360 million.

Rep. Pascrell regularly leads the fight to increase NSGP funding in the House and works around the clock to obtain needed anti-terror grants for New Jersey. He helped secure more than $9.5 million in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding for New Jersey in July 2020, including $1.08 million for community centers in the Ninth Congressional District. In 2020, Rep. Pascrell helped lead legislation which officially authorized the Nonprofit Security Grant Programs.

While the NSGP was previously funded through annual appropriations, the program had never been officially authorized. Pascrell’s Securing American Nonprofit Organizations Against Terrorism Act (H.R.2476) was signed into law later that year.

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