House Democrats are calling on their Republican colleagues to increase funding for federal law enforcement agencies, denouncing calls from the Right to defund the FBI.
A group of 37 Democrats led by Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL) sent a letter to Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) on Thursday calling for more resources for the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and U.S. attorneys' offices nationwide that are tasked with prosecuting federal crimes. The letter comes amid a growing call within the GOP conference to slash federal funding, especially after the release of the Durham report last week.
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“We write to you today to reject dangerous cuts to critical public safety programs and propose alternative policies to ensure law enforcement personnel across the country have the tools they need to keep communities safe,” the lawmakers wrote. “The first duty of government is to protect the safety of its citizens. Therefore, Congress has a responsibility to sufficiently fund essential programs that empower law enforcement agencies to address the diverse set of criminal threats facing the communities we represent.”
The letter specifically hits House Republicans’ proposed 2024 funding levels, which Democrats argue would decrease the number of FBI personnel by roughly 11,000 and freeze ATF hiring. Democrats claim the budget would also cut the number of local law enforcement agencies receiving federal support by over 23%.
“As a result, local communities will lose essential law enforcement personnel, the nation’s principal investigative agency will see a decrease in capabilities, and gun violence will become more common in our communities,” the letter states.
Instead, Democrats propose a $569.6 million increase to the FBI budget, a $215.9 million increase to the ATF, and $212.1 million for U.S. attorneys' offices.
The Durham report detailed the FBI’s investigation into alleged links between the Russian government and then-candidate Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential election. The report concluded the investigation was inherently flawed as there was no proper basis to conduct it in the first place. It also found that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign played an outsize role in pushing collusion claims to the media and the FBI.
The findings prompted Republican lawmakers to renew calls to defund agencies such as the FBI and Justice Department, accusing them of being politically "weaponized" against conservatives.
“The Congress is this country’s checkbook, and we can start cutting funds to the FBI. You know, they’ve bungled so many cases as of late, and they continue to do so,” Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) told Fox News. “That’s what we’ll have to do. We’ll have to start cutting their checkbook a little bit just to get them to the table if that’s what it takes. And I’m for that because they’ve just not done their duty.”
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The calls to defund the DOJ and FBI, even just partially, come as Republicans have sought to criticize Democrats for “soft on crime” policies such as defunding the police. The GOP has sought to project itself as the party of “law and order,” prompting criticism from some Democrats.
There has not been legislation introduced to pare back funding for the federal agencies, and such a move would likely receive pushback from many House Republicans, as well as Democrats. Even if it did manage to pass the lower chamber, it’s unlikely to pass the Senate and would face an almost certain veto from President Joe Biden.