Trump administration to end DHS program designed to thwart terror attacks

The Trump administration is planning to end a DHS terrorism prevention program that former officials and experts say has helped thwart attacks in the U.S.

The Trump administration plans to eliminate a Department of Homeland Security terrorism prevention program that former government officials and experts say has helped thwart attacks in the United States. The DHS budget submitted to Congress last month cancels the $18 million terrorism prevention grant program, saying it “does not align with DHS priorities.”

“That line should be quoted after every future mass casualty event in this country,” said a current senior DHS official who declined to be named, citing fear of being fired.

Former DHS officials say they believe the modest program, which costs about 4% of the military's marching band budget, has stopped violent attacks. It is designed to prevent a type of terrorism that has become increasingly common: lone-wolf attacks by individuals who are not members of an organized group.

Examples include the recent firebomb attack in Boulder, Colorado, on demonstrators marching in support of Israeli hostages; the murder of a young couple outside the Capitol Jewish Museum; the killing of 14 people in a New Year’s attack in New Orleans; and the shooting of a United Health Care executive in Manhattan.

“When people say, ‘You can’t prove prevention doesn’t work,’ I ask them, ‘Do you go to the doctor? Do you have a smoke detector in your home?’ Then you believe in prevention,” said Bill Braniff, a former DHS official who oversaw the program as the director of its Center for Prevention Partnerships and Programs.