DHS Should Give Rationale for Focus on Domestic Extremism and Election Security: GAO Report

After the terror attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001, the federal government created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and spent significant money bolstering local response to the threat of terror attacks. Since 2002, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is part of the DHS, has spent $55 billion in various threat preparedness grants to state, local, tribal, and territorial governments. The money could be used to outfit a bomb squad, train law enforcement, or to add extra security to soft targets such as large stadiums of people at ball games. In fiscal year 2020, the DHS introduced “National Priority Areas” to the Homeland Security Grant program, and started steering grant money toward new perceived threats. At that time, the DHS established four new National Priority Areas for the grant money: cybersecurity; protection of soft targets, information sharing; and emergent threats....