Democrats Unanimously Oppose Republican Commerce, Justice, Science Bill that Defunds Law Enforcement, Makes America Less Safe

25 Republicans Voted to Put Presidential Candidates Above the Rule of Law
  

WASHINGTON — Today, House Appropriations Committee Democrats highlighted how Republicans’ extreme 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill defunds law enforcement, makes us less safe, and hurts our economy. House Democrats were united in their opposition to the legislation.

During today’s markup, Republicans offered an amendment that would prevent the Department of Justice from prosecuting a declared Presidential candidate, putting candidates above the rule of law. While this harmful policy was defeated, 25 Republicans voted in favor of the amendment.

This bill:

• Threatens national security by defunding Federal law enforcement, eliminating thousands of Federal agent, analyst, and prosecutor positions, and cutting resources to protect the United States from harm, including espionage, domestic and international terrorism, and other threats.
• Makes families and children less safe by slashing legal services, Violence Against Women Act grants, Juvenile Justice grants, Community Violence Intervention and Prevention grants, hate crimes grants, and other resources that prevent violence.
• Opens our schools, grocery stores, churches, concerts, and communities up to more devastating mass shootings by making it easier for guns to end up in the wrong hands.
• Hurts the economy and harms hardworking Americans who cannot keep up with the high cost of living by cutting funding for the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division and gutting Economic Development Administration (EDA) programs that predominately serve rural communities.
• Continues Republicans’ attacks on women’s health and safety by barring funding for the Reproductive Rights Task Force, litigation against States or local governments regarding abortion laws, and certain protections for women in the workplace. 

“Once again, the current leadership of the House is proposing harmful cuts to Federal law enforcement, in order to satisfy their most extreme Members,” Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee Ranking Member Matt Cartwright (D-PA-08) said. “These cuts will force the FBI to reduce its workforce by thousands, and will also force huge reductions in Federal prosecutors and other Federal personnel who fight violent crime, terrorism, espionage, and other dangerous threats. The bill also guts funding for economic development efforts in distressed communities, slashes funding for agencies that fight the unfair trade practices of other countries, and cuts funding for efforts to combat violence against women and prevent juvenile delinquency. I urge my colleagues to join me in rejecting this harmful and misguided bill.”

Congressman Cartwright’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

“House Republicans’ Commerce, Justice, Science bill is bad for everyday, hard-working Americans. House Republicans are eliminating thousands of federal law enforcement positions and cutting resources for programs that prevent violence, mass shootings, and terrorist attacks,” Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03) said. “The bill also harms families struggling to keep up with the high cost of living, by cutting funding for the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division. After years of mergers across industries allowed the biggest companies, from grocery and home goods stores to airlines, to acquire their closest competitors, these corporations have relentlessly and shamelessly pursued – and acquired – record profits by price gouging Americans out of every dollar they can. The majority is also using this funding bill to further attack women’s health by slashing services and programs thathelp prevent hate crimes and violence against women and children. Instead of pursuing these dangerous policies, House Republicans should join Democrats in helping Americans feel safe and secure.” 

Congresswoman DeLauro’s full remarks as prepared for delivery are here.

A summary of the bill can be found here. A fact sheet of the bill is here.

The text of the bill, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. The bill report, before the adoption of amendments in full Committee, is here. Information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

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