GOP House Members Advocate for Significant Reductions to Federal Law Enforcement Funding
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House Republicans have advanced legislation to cut funding for the Department of Justice and U.S. attorneys’ offices by 20% and 11% respectively, alleging these agencies have been weaponized against conservatives. The spending bill, passed along party lines, comes amidst the Department of Justice prosecuting two federal cases against former President Donald J. Trump. In addition to this, Republicans are planning to force votes on various hard-right measures aimed at placating their ultra-conservative supporters ahead of September’s funding deadline and the November elections.
House Republicans Advance Legislation to Cut DOJ Funding
On Wednesday, House Republicans proposed legislation to reduce funding for the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. attorneys’ offices nationwide – a move seen by many as an attempt to penalize federal law enforcement agencies accused of bias against conservatives, including former President Donald Trump.
The funding bill, approved by the House Appropriations Committee along party lines, proposes a cut of 20% for the DOJ and 11% for U.S. attorneys’ offices. This decision comes at a time when the DOJ is prosecuting two federal cases against Trump related to election interference and retention of classified materials.
House Republicans are using this opportunity to inject partisan policy directives into annual governmental spending bills targeting political grievances and culture war issues. Similar strategies were used last year but were eventually removed during bipartisan negotiations.
In the upcoming days, Republicans will be forcing votes on proposals such as reducing the salaries of key cabinet members to $1, cutting funding for certain offices, and prohibiting U.S. funding for Ukraine. Conservative social policy dictates have been incorporated into these bills, including measures related to critical race theory, climate change executive orders, and abortion.
The proposed funding bill for the DOJ and FBI has been a significant point of contention, with conservatives determined to defund agencies they perceive as biased against them. Tough measures are being taken against the Attorney General for non-compliance with a congressional subpoena.
The House Republicans have been seeking retaliation since the DOJ’s special counsel, Jack Smith, charged Trump with retention of classified documents. Funding for special counsels is separate from the typical congressional appropriations process, which has made it difficult to enact the desired changes.
For now, high-ranking Republicans have opted to broadly cut funding to law enforcement agencies. However, some hard-right lawmakers are pushing for provisions targeting Smith. Plans to introduce amendments to the bill to prohibit the use of funds for prosecuting a presidential candidate before the 2024 election were reported by Fox News.
The proposed legislation has been unanimously opposed by Democrats, arguing it would undermine law enforcement efforts. The bill is unlikely to pass in the Democratic-led Senate and may even face obstacles within the Republican-controlled House.
Navigating the 12 spending bills that fund the government has proven to be a challenge for House Republican leaders due to the insistence of hard-liners to attach deeply conservative measures to spending legislation.
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