Congresswoman Pou Leads NJ Congressional Delegation Members Demanding Noem Restore Slashed Security Funds
PATERSON, NJ – Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-NJ–09), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, is leading 11 members of New Jersey’s congressional delegation calling on U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to restore federal security grant funding that is being slashed by the Trump administration by nearly 50 percent.
“As members of the New Jersey congressional delegation who prioritize the safety and security of our constituents, we write to express serious concern regarding your attempts to cut New Jersey’s funding for the FY2025 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and State Homeland Security Program (SHSP). This is the single largest preparedness grant program in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and New Jersey’s allocation was slashed by nearly fifty percent. We urge you to prioritize public safety in our state and immediately restore full funding for this critical program,” the members write Noem.
New Jersey has relied on these federal grants to respond to and prepare against terrorist attacks. SHSP funding has supported cybersecurity training, terrorism mitigation, and efforts to combat domestic violent extremism. UASI funding has enhanced urban search and rescue missions and procured equipment for first responders to improve their mutual aid networks. In the near future, New Jersey will host massive events such as the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and celebrations for the 250th Anniversary of the United States that will place significant demands on security infrastructure.
The letter is signed by Congressmembers Pou, Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ-11), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06), Donald Norcross (D-NJ-01), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ-10), Herb Conaway (D-NJ-03), Rob Menendez (D-NJ-08), and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), and U.S. Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ).
The complete text of the members’ letter is below.
Dear Secretary Noem:
As members of the New Jersey congressional delegation who prioritize the safety and security of our constituents, we write to express serious concern regarding your attempts to cut New Jersey’s funding for the FY2025 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and State Homeland Security Program (SHSP). This is the single largest preparedness grant program in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and New Jersey’s allocation was slashed by nearly fifty percent. We urge you to prioritize public safety in our state and immediately restore full funding for this critical program.
The Homeland Security Grant Program was established in direct response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. For decades, Congress has appropriated – and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has administered – HSGP grants on a nonpartisan basis based on the specific needs of each community. In fact, DHS is required by law to allocate this funding based on a statutory risk formula that takes into account the relative threats, vulnerabilities, and potential consequences from terrorist attacks that each state faces.
When DHS published its Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for HSGP, it stated its intent to allocate SHSP based on statutory risk assessments and other criteria. It further explained that UASI funding would be allocated according to an analysis of relative risk to terrorism faced by the 100 most populous areas in the country. Under this process, New Jersey was preliminarily allocated $18,994,023. But in DHS’s final award notification, our state received just $9,769,257. Furthermore, the award notification did not explain why this drastic funding cut was made, stating only that it was effectuated “per DHS directive”.
New Jersey has relied on these federal grants to respond to and prepare against terrorist attacks. SHSP funding has supported cybersecurity training, terrorism mitigation, and efforts to combat domestic violent extremism. UASI funding has enhanced urban search and rescue missions and procured equipment for first responders to improve their mutual aid networks. In the near future, we will host massive events such as the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and celebrations for the 250th Anniversary of the United States that will place significant demands on our security infrastructure.
Every dollar from the federal government is essential to the protection of our nearly 9.5 million residents. Additionally, we appreciate that President Trump recognized the importance of not playing politics with this funding when he announced the reversal of cuts for New York, and we urge you to do the same for our state.
We call on you to immediately restore New Jersey’s HSGP grant allocation. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter.
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