House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a bill to fund the departments of Commerce and Justice, as well as science agencies, for fiscal 2025, legislation that is poised to be at the center of one of the most contentious spending battles this year.
Conservative Republicans in the lower chamber have zeroed in on the commerce, justice and science appropriations bill as a way to go after the Justice Department in the wake of former President Trump’s conviction in his Manhattan hush money trial and as his three other prosecutions proceed.
The legislation strips nearly a billion dollars in funding from the Department of Justice, and likewise blocks the construction of a new FBI headquarters.
“This bill prioritizes fiscal sanity and the liberties of the American people,” House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in a statement. “It halts the weaponization of the federal government against its citizens and enhances congressional oversight to ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly. Investments support our brave men and women in blue, combat crime, and stop the deadly scourge of illicit drugs from reaching our communities. The legislation also safeguards U.S. innovation by confronting China’s efforts to target every aspect of American enterprise.”
Attorney General Merrick Garland called it a drastic cut to Justice Department funding that helps keep communities safe.
“This effort to defund the Justice Department and its essential law enforcement functions will make our fight against violent crime all the more difficult. It is unacceptable,” he said during a speech in Cleveland, Ohio.
The measure has little chance of becoming law, with Democrats in the Senate and White House sure to reject various funding cuts and policy riders included in the legislation. But House GOP leaders are aiming to put themselves in a better position for eventual negotiations with the Democratic-controlled upper chamber.
The commerce, justice and science appropriations bill allocates $78.29 billion in discretionary spending, marking a roughly 2 percent cut — $1.28 billion — from fiscal 2024 levels, according to Republicans on the Appropriations Committee. It also includes $71.93 billion in nondefense discretionary and $6.36 billion in defense discretionary.
The 160-page bill does not mention special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading investigations into Trump, or seek to limit the powers of a special counsel more broadly. Nor does it mention Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), who led the hush money prosecution in New York, or grant money disbursed to local and state offices.
But an Appropriations subcommittee is set to mark up the bill on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT, and lawmakers are expected to file a number of amendments. The House Rules Committee will determine which measures receive a vote on the floor.
The legislation imposes a sizable funding cut to the Justice Department: It allocates $36.53 billion for the department, which is $987.82 million, or 3 percent, below the fiscal 2024 bill, and $3.06 billion less than President Biden’s budget request.
The measure also guts funding for the FBI. The agency, which has become a target of conservative lawmakers in recent years, would receive $10.31 billion under the newly released bill, which is $367.71 million — 3.5 percent — below the fiscal 2024 levels. The proposed allocation is also $1.03 billion — 9 percent — less than Biden’s budget.
Stripping funding for the construction of a new headquarters is another GOP pet project — with various lawmakers raising complaints about the agency and advocating funding cuts.
A government funding package lawmakers passed and Biden signed earlier this year included $200 million to go toward the construction of a new FBI headquarters, angering hard-line conservatives. Last year, the General Services Administration announced the new FBI headquarters would be in Greenbelt, Md., following a bitter fight over the location between Maryland and Virginia lawmakers.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, slammed the GOP’s commerce, justice and science funding bill, accusing it chipping away at the justice system.
“Instead of joining Democrats in decreasing crime and helping Americans feel secure, House Republicans are eliminating law enforcement positions and cutting resources for programs that prevent violence, mass shootings, and terrorist attacks,” DeLauro said in a statement.
“By cutting federal law enforcement and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, they are making it harder to prosecute dangerous criminals while making it easier for big corporations and billionaires to take advantage of Americans,” she added. “This bill would hurt the economy by gutting programs that help create jobs, especially in rural communities.”
The funding cuts and language cracking down on the Justice Department comes after House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) penned a letter to Cole asking that various “reforms” are included in the government funding process this year, including nixing funding for the FBI “that is not essential for the agency to execute its mission,” eliminating federal funding for “state prosecutors or state attorneys general involved in lawfare” and getting rid of federal funding for federal prosecutors taking part “in such abuse.”
Rebecca Beitsch contributed.
Updated at 2:46 p.m.
