Nine state and local government organizations are asking congressional leadership to reauthorize the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP), warning that without continued funding through the program, security systems across the nation will falter.
The SLCGP was established by Congress as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 and provides $1 billion in funding over four years. It operates under a partnership between the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency and is up for reauthorization this year.
In a letter sent on Sept. 17 to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., state and local government leaders urged Congress to reauthorize the grant with “a robust appropriation that will allow the program to meet the goals outlined by its authors.”
“This critical program has provided states and local governments with the resources they need to bolster their cybersecurity defenses and assisted in modernizing technology systems across the country,” wrote officials.
The SLCGP is set to expire at the end of the month, at which point the program will no longer receive federal funding.
Earlier this month, the House Homeland Security Committee voted in a bipartisan manner to extend the program for an additional 10 years under the name of “Protecting Information by Local Leaders for Agency Resilience Act.”
Despite bipartisan support, the program has come with some controversy among state and local officials, who have pointed to a need for a longer program length and more accessibility for smaller communities.
“As always, we stand ready to work with you to make our nation’s networks secure, protect critical infrastructure and provide digital services to our citizens,” the letter stated. “We appreciate your support of efforts at the state and local level to make this very important goal a reality.”
Signees of the letter included the National Governors Association, National Association of State Chief Information Officers, National Conference of State Legislatures, National Emergency Management Association, National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, United States Conference of Mayors, The Council of State Governments, and the International City/County Management Association.