Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) urged Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Tuesday to move quickly to advance a legislative package that would address rising antisemitism and religious hate generally — something Congress has repeatedly struggled and failed to do since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza.

In a letter to the Senate leaders, Lankford and Rosen, who co-chair the chamber’s antisemitism task force, called for a bipartisan legislative package including funding increases for security assistance to religious institutions and improved training, prevention and prosecution efforts. The letter comes days after an arson attack at the largest synagogue in Mississippi, which is mentioned in the letter.

The letter does not mention high-profile bills addressing antisemitism specifically — such as the Antisemitism Awareness Act — which have previously proven difficult to pass amid growing objections on both sides of the aisle. The letter takes a broader approach, focusing on faith communities generally and the attacks that both Jewish and non-Jewish religious institutions have faced.

“As Senators committed to safeguarding Americans’ fundamental freedom to worship without fear, we write to express deep concern about the rising tide of violence, intimidation, and vandalism targeting faith-based institutions across our country,” Lankford and Rosen wrote. “As we begin the new year, threats to churches, synagogues, mosques, gurdwaras, temples, and schools have not abated. That is why we believe Congress must act swiftly to protect houses of worship, faith-based schools, and the communities they serve.”

The letter calls for legislation to increase funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and to make sure funds are disbursed quickly; to clarify eligible uses for grant funding to include security contractors, physical security measures, emergency communication tools and security cameras; and to direct the administration to process NSGP applications quickly and provide free technical assistance to institutions applying for grants.

These calls follow and come in response to a year of delays and frustration with NSGP implementation by the administration. Grants for 2025 still have not been awarded or disbursed and the timeline for doing so remains unclear, with lawmakers saying they’ve been left in the dark by the administration.

Lankford and Rosen also called for the proposed legislative package to direct federal law enforcement to improve information sharing with religious community security groups, including implementing channels for the government to quickly share threat information and for religious communities to report suspicious activity, as well as to fund “scalable training” for community professionals and volunteers.

They said the Senate should pass the Pray Safe Act — the only specific pending legislation mentioned within the letter. The bipartisan and largely noncontroversial bill, which has nonetheless languished for multiple congressional sessions, would create a federal database on security best practices, training information and potential federal funding opportunities.

And they urged the Senate to provide additional resources to prosecute violence and property crimes against religious communities, to improve federal coordination with state and local law enforcement and to improve data collection and sharing on such incidents.

Emphasizing the urgency to protect impacted communities, the lawmakers said that they are “prepared to work” with the Senate leaders’ teams “immediately to translate the items above into text that can move quickly.”

They also said that they want to see the package include “near-term funding and implementation directives” in addition to any longer-term policy and programmatic changes.

“This package of priorities reflects our shared obligation — rooted in the First Amendment and our national character — to ensure that Americans can pray, learn, celebrate, and mourn in safety,” the lawmakers said. “We also recognize that the federal government cannot substitute for local leadership, nor for the resilience and vigilance of faith communities themselves. But Congress can and should ensure that federal resources are timely, accessible, and proportional to risk, and that our national security enterprise treats attacks on houses of worship with the seriousness they warrant.”

A Lankford spokesperson praised Thune’s engagement on the issue. Before taking office as the Senate majority leader, Thune pledged to take action on antisemitism, though efforts to advance the Antisemitism Awareness Act stalled last year.
“The Senate, under Sen. Thune’s leadership, has been clear about the seriousness of the violence and intimidation facing Jewish Americans and other faith communities,” the Lankford spokesperson told Jewish Insider. “Sen. Lankford appreciates Leader Thune’s engagement on combatting antisemitism and ensuring Americans can worship without fear.”