Appropriations markup pits House Republicans and Democrats over FBI, ATF and local law enforcement funding
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Summary
House members clashed over proposed reductions and restores in the CJS bill that Democratic lawmakers say will force the FBI and ATF to cut thousands of agents and hobble investigations, while Republicans defended the bill as reining in agency overreach and enforcing accountability.
House members sharply disagreed over funding for federal law enforcement in the Commerce, Justice, Science, and related agencies appropriations bill during a full markup. Democrats said the bill would force layoffs at the FBI and ATF and strip key grants from state and local partners; Republicans defended the bill as restoring balance and accountability. Ranking Member Grace Meng and other Democrats said cuts of roughly $368 million to the FBI and $418 million to ATF would force thousands of personnel reductions and weaken investigations and trafficking enforcement. Representative Rosa DeLauro and others said cuts to Byrne/JAG and community violence intervention grants would remove tools that local police rely on to prevent and investigate violent crime. Republicans, including Subcommittee Chair Mike Rogers, said the bill maintains support for public safety while enforcing tighter oversight of agencies and pushing back on regulatory overreach. The markup included multiple roll-call and voice votes on amendments about restoring FBI funding and on policy riders, and Democrats repeatedly urged changes to restore grant programs they said protect victims and fight cartels. The debate also touched on ATF policy riders that would limit the agency’s ability to regulate certain firearms rules.