Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told the heads of Jewish organizations at a gathering on Capitol Hill about his efforts to increase the budget for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.
“As long as I’m majority leader, I will keep fighting to increase and continue to increase the funding and availability of NSGP to our synagogues, shuls, and Jewish institutions in America,” he said on Wednesday.
“In recent years, the level of investment and the level of expertise and the level of sophistication that is required to maintain the security of our communities has increased,” said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, in a statement. “But the Jewish community in America should know that this infrastructure is in place, and should feel confident and safe engaging in the prayers and the communal events coming up in the coming days and coming weeks.”
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) reflected on how Democrats and Republicans have joined to support the program, saying “I’m really glad that this work has almost nothing to do with partisan politics.”
Other legislators in attendance included Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Reps. Kathy Manning (D-N.C.) and Gabe Amo (D-R.I.).
The security program saw a funding cut of 10% in 2023, lowering the budget down to $274.5 before receiving $180 million from a supplemental appropriation bill.
The increase allowed for $454.5 million in grants, yet still only able to provide support for fewer than half of the applicants.
Murphy said in response to the shortfall that “the amount of money, while it’s grown exponentially over a short period of time, doesn’t come anywhere close to meeting that need—and we should meet the need.”
