Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Chair of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, delivered the following remarks at the Subcommittee's hearing on Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention.
January 6th was a wakeup call for many people, but we have seen evidence of a growing problem of targeted violence and domestic violent extremism over the last several years.
Former Secretary Johnson was an early advocate of investing in this area, and we worked with him late in the FY16 funding cycle to establish a grant program focused on countering violent extremism.
Unfortunately, the focus of the program took a wrong turn at the beginning of the last administration - focusing insufficiently on countering domestic extremism - with the result that no additional funding was appropriated for the grants between FY17 and FY19.
I am glad this effort seems to have righted itself in the last couple of years, resulting in an appropriation of $10 million in FY20 for TVTP grants and $20 million for FY21.
Overall, our FY21 bill included more than $80 million for TVTP activities across the Department, an increase of $61 million, including a total of $16.5 million for the Office of Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention.
This morning, we want to find out more about the Department’s role in countering violent extremism of every kind; what you are learning about the causes of radicalization that leads to violence; and how communities can help prevent it.
Our hearing is particularly timely, given the release last week of a report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence entitled: Domestic Violent Extremism Poses Heightened Threat in 2021.
Unfortunately, it is also highly pertinent in light of the murder of eight people at Asian-American businesses in Georgia last week and the targeted killing of ten people at a grocery store in Colorado this week.
I would like to turn now to the distinguished gentleman from Tennessee, Ranking Member Fleischmann, for his opening remarks.
Source: U.S. Department of HCA
