The DHS has plenty of resources now.

WASHINGTON— Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas today announced more than $2 billion in funding for eight fiscal year 2023 preparedness grant programs. These grant programs m prepare for, prevent, protect against, and respond to acts of terrorism.

Secretary Mayorkas issued the following statement on this year’s grant awards: “As the threats to our homeland continue to evolve, the Department of Homeland Security is fulfilling a key aspect of its mission by equipping state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, as well as transportation authorities and nonprofit organizations, with vital resources to help them strengthen our nation’s preparedness. The new threat landscape now includes medium- and small-sized jurisdictions and remote locations and encompasses a greater swath of our country than ever before, to include so-called 'soft targets' and other targets of opportunity.

“This year, we are therefore expanding the reach of our more than $2 billion in funding by adding four additional urban areas as grant recipients: Austin, Texas; Honolulu, Hawaii; Jacksonville, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee. This is in addition to the thirty-six urban areas we continue to support, bringing the total number of funded urban areas to 40.

“The law requires that at least 25% of the combined funds for the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) be dedicated to Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Activities (LETPA). Last year, for the first time, we increased that minimum requirement to 30%, resulting in a $51.5 million increase from the prior year. This year, we are increasing the LETPA minimum requirement once again, to 35%. In total, LETPA funding will increase by $103 million -- from $257.5 million to $360.5 million -- over a two-year period. This increase will ensure critical support for law enforcement to better understand, recognize, prepare for, prevent, and respond to terrorist activity. We are also providing additional policy guidance that will help ensure that law enforcement and terrorism- focused grant funds are appropriately focused on terrorism prevention activities, thereby strengthening our national preparedness posture.

“DHS is fundamentally a department of partnerships, and today’s grants are vital to strengthening the capabilities of local communities, which are best positioned to ensure the safety and security of our homeland. As we did last year, we have again increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) to provide essential resources to help protect nonprofit organizations at risk of terrorist attacks. I called on Congress to provide increased funding after the hostage situation at the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas. Last year, Congress increased NSGP funding by $70 million. This year, Congress provided an additional $55 million increase, bringing the NSGP funding up from $180 million two years ago to $305 million this year. That kind of federal support is crucial to help nonprofit organizations across the nation make physical security enhancements to help protect against attacks. We are grateful to Congress for its critical support. We have also prioritized the participation of historically marginalized communities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities in this critical program, to build their capacity and address an evolving threat environment.”

The Fiscal Year 2023 grant guidance will continue to focus on the nation’s highest risk areas, including urban areas that face the most significant threats. This year, the Urban Area Security Initiative will enhance regional preparedness and capabilities by funding 40 high-threat, high-density urban areas. This includes four additional urban areas who will receive funding to build and sustain capability based on an evolving threat environment. This represents Congressional intent to limit these funds to those urban areas that represent up to 85% of nationwide risk.

These grants involve an enhanced risk methodology that better reflects the current complex and diverse threat environment. DHS and FEMA have updated this year’s risk methodology after extensive stakeholder engagement, and we commit to continuing that engagement through the FY 2023 application period to ensure our grant programs are as simple and easy to access as possible. The change in the risk methodology will allow additional jurisdictions to build new capacity to address the complex and diverse threat environment, while allowing previous grant-receiving jurisdictions to maintain current capacity to the extent it meets the new threat environment.