House members with jurisdiction over the Justice Department's budget did not include most of a multi-billion-dollar Biden administration request for "mandatory" anticrime spending over the next decade.
When the White House made its budget proposal this spring, it touted a proposal to spend more than $30 billion on various anticrime programs over a decade.
When the House Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations subcommittee made its DOJ proposal for the fiscal year starting October 1, which is being considered Tuesday by the full Appropriations Committee, it provided only a meager $15 million of the $300 million sought by the White House as the first installment in the "Accelerating Justice System Reform Initiative."
The bill does seek increases for many the justice assistance grant programs, including an increase of about $35 million, or nine percent, for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne JAG) program without the policing reform-related grant conditions proposed by the House for the past two years.
The subcommittee called for $10,676,000,000 for the FBI, a $539,705,000 increase.
That includes increases of $51,975,000 for programs to address cyber threats and cybercrime; $76,189,000 to counter acts of mass violence, threats to public safety, domestic terrorism, and "emergent national security threats;" $34,142,000 for counterintelligence requirements; $36,948,000 for cybersecurity; $17,786,000 to expand civil rights enforcement and $20,574,000 to combat crime and corruption.
Among existing programs, the subcommittee would increase the budget for the Second Chance Act to $90 million, up from $80 million, DNA analysis grants to $168 million, up from $151 million, drug courts to $100 million from $88 million and veterans’ treatment courts to $38 million, up from $29 million.
The measure would provide $150 million for a community violence intervention initiative, up from a newly funded $50 million this year.
Among new program, the subcommittee would provide $40 million to incentivize red flag and gun licensing laws, $25 million for a public defender improvement program and $20 million for regional sexual assault investigative training academies.