The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday announced almost $2 billion in state and local preparedness grants, with at least $77 million allocated to directly combat domestic violent extremism—a priority issue under President Joe Biden’s administration. The department said that it has, for the first time, marked domestic terrorism as a “national priority area” for preparedness grants. State and local governments receiving grants from the DHS will be required to use at least $77 million to “ensure we have the necessary capabilities to detect and protect against threats” from domestic violent extremism. Agency chief Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement that the most significant terrorist threats now come from “small groups of individuals who commit acts of violence motivated by domestic extremist ideological beliefs.” “While we continue to lawfully protect against threats posed by foreign terrorist organizations, we also must ensure adequate focus and funding is provided to combat …