$550M in Federal Preparedness Grants Prioritize Security for State and Local Governments

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Chris Teale By Chris Teale,
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By Chris Teale

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The grant programs target six “critical areas,” including cybersecurity, information sharing and election security.

The Department of Homeland Security announced final funding allocations for state and local governments to bolster their preparedness, including against cyberattacks.

A total of $550 million will go to seven competitive preparedness programs in Fiscal Year 2022. In a statement, DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said cybersecurity is one of “six critical areas” prioritized by the grants, alongside protecting soft targets and crowded places, intelligence and information sharing, combating domestic violent extremism, community preparedness and resilience as well as election security.

Included in the funding is $93 million for the Transit Security Grant Program, which provides funds for public transportation agencies to protect themselves from acts of terrorism. In the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the program, DHS and the Federal Emergency Management Agency said the need to enhance cybersecurity is a major area of concern.

DHS and FEMA said transit authorities could carry out cybersecurity risk assessments, address any vulnerabilities discovered during those risk assessments, improve the cybersecurity of their critical infrastructure and carry out more cyber training and planning. Researchers have previously warned of the vulnerabilities of transit agencies to cyberattacks.

Also included in the funding is $100 million for the Port Security Grant Program, which helps states and localities, as well as their partners in the private sector, protect their port infrastructure. Enhancing cybersecurity is also a priority in that grant program.

Mayorkas said the grants “will help to improve the nation’s readiness in preparing, responding to, and recovering from terrorist attacks, major disasters, and other emergencies.”

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