U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, joined Sen. Bob Menendez and nine of his colleagues in the New Jersey Congressional Delegation in expressing concern regarding the continued decline in Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funding for New Jersey. In a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson, the lawmakers also requested a meeting with DHS officials and leadership from the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to discuss the vulnerabilities and threats facing New Jersey.
“HSGP funds are critical to our Urban Area Security Initiative and our state’s overall efforts to train, equip, and staff homeland security, law enforcement, and first-responder agencies, which are on the front lines of our local counterterrorism campaign,” the lawmakers wrote. “As members of New Jersey’s Congressional delegation, we remain troubled by the disproportionately low HSGP allocation for New Jersey when weighed against its high threat environment, and appreciate your partnership to ensure New Jersey has the resources necessary to more effectively combat these threats.”
Established in 2003, the FEMA Homeland Security Grant Program was designated to provide federal funding to local, state and federal government agencies for counterterrorism equipment and training. Since 2010, New Jersey’s share of HSGP has dropped from $61 million in 2010 to $29 million in 2015.
In April 2015, Sen. Booker sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate expressing deep concerns regarding FEMA’s preliminary FY2015 Annual Risk Assessment and Profile of New Jersey.
Joining Sens. Booker and Menendez in signing the letter were U.S. Reps. Donald Norcross (NJ-01), Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2), Tom MacArthur (NJ-03), Chris Smith (NJ-04), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Albio Sires (NJ-08), Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09), Donald Payne, Jr. (NJ-10) and Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11).
[TLS]
The money went to Iran instead.