Political standoff causing DHS shutdown delays security grants for synagogues
The shutdown has halted security grant reviews even as threats continue — including a car attack on Temple Israel in suburban Detroit
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Fast Forward Federal security grants to synagogues are resuming after two-month Trump freeze
Nearly 80 members of Congress from both parties signed a letter urging the Trump administration to free the funds
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Fast Forward Your Government Is Funding Houses Of Worship. Here’s Why No One Noticed.
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President George W. Bush’s first act as president, on Jan. 29, 2001, was to open an office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Church-state separations that had hindered such partnerships, he said in a statement, were “inherently unfair.” Jewish groups, civil libertarians and Democrats immediately raised concerns, and the Bush administration soon dispatched…
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Fast Forward Trump Signs Bill To Extend Disaster Aid To Houses Of Worship
(JTA) — President Donald Trump signed into law a bill to extend disaster assistance by Federal Emergency Management Agency to houses of worship. On Friday morning, Trump signed a two-year budget measure that included the provisions extending assistance. The government had shut down overnight, as lawmakers were unable to agree on the larger budget bill….
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Fast Forward Ending Years of Battles, FEMA Agrees To Fund Repairs To Synagogues, Churches
Ever since the Seattle Hebrew Academy was damaged by an earthquake in 2001, Jewish and non-Jewish religious groups have been trying to get the Federal Emergency Management Agency to grant repair funds to houses of worship hit by natural disaster. But internal rules put in place to ensure federal dollars don’t go to religious causes…
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Fast Forward House Passes Bill Allowing Disaster Funds For Houses Of Worship
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill that allows federal disaster relief funds to go to houses of worship. On Thursday, the House voted 251-169 to approve the bill. The vote was not strictly along party lines, although more Republicans than Democrats favored it. The Senate is considering a similar bill….
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News Sea Change In Washington Cracks Opens Door To FEMA Funding For Synagogues
Armed with a presidential tweet, a bill moving forward in Congress and a pending lawsuit, Jewish and Christian advocates believe they are on the verge of overturning a long-standing policy that has prohibited federal emergency funds from reaching houses of worship hit by natural disasters. The public face of this campaign is Christian. A short…
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News Will Trump Change FEMA Rule Barring Aid To Synagogues?
For Houston’s devastated synagogues, government funds to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey may not come. The historic flooding that has brought death and terror to parts of Texas this week has damaged an untold number of houses of worship, including at least two synagogues. Government rules could bar those holy sites from receiving government rebuilding grants…
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