A House Republican subcommittee advanced legislation on Friday that would cut funding for the FBI by $1 billion, and decrease overall funding for related agencies to 2022 levels.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies approved the bill, which includes a 9% cut in funding for the FBI, in a party-line vote. Included in the $1 billion cut is a $400 million decrease in FBI salaries and related expenses, and new spending limitations on the bureau.
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The FBI's budget under the new legislation would drop from $11.3 billion in the current fiscal year to $10.3 billion in 2024.
Rogers is the chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee responsible for the slash in FBI funding.
Other key components of the bill include a ban on the bureau investigating politically sensitive cases without a bipartisan staff in the Justice Department overseeing it. The move is part of the Right's aim at limiting the alleged politicization of the FBI, which Republicans have claimed has targeted conservatives, while not leading full investigations of people such as Hunter Biden.
The bill also prevents the bureau from paying the salaries of agents who retaliate against whistleblowers, and those who refuse to comply with a congressional subpoena. It also blocks the salaries of those who allegedly impose on an employee's First Amendment rights, including free speech, and prevents the bureau from labeling any communications as "misinformation."
Democrats on the subcommittee slammed the proposed legislation, claiming it "defunds" law enforcement instead of supporting law enforcement as Republicans claim to do.
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"This bill does defund law enforcement and takes funding away from programs that create good jobs," Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) said during the subcommittee's meeting on Friday.
The bill also slashes discretionary funding for the Commerce Department by $1.4 billion, and cuts the Department of Justice's funding by $2 billion, according to the GOP summary of the bill.