At Subcommittee Markup, Democrats Highlight How Republicans are Making Americans Less Safe

Republican Commerce, Justice, Science funding bill would eliminate thousands of federallaw enforcement agents and analysts, make life easier for violent criminals, erode American scientific strength, and threaten national security.

WASHINGTON — Today, House Republicans advanced their extreme 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies funding bill that defunds law enforcement; makes families, women, and children less safe; and hurts our economy. 

This bill:

• Threatens national security by defunding law enforcement, eliminating thousands of federal agent and analyst positions, and cutting resources to protect Americans from harm, including violent crime, espionage, domestic and international terrorism, and other threats.
• Makes families, women, and children less safe by slashing legal services, Violence Against Women Act grants, Juvenile Justice grants, Community Violence Intervention and Prevention grants, hate crime prevention grants, and other resources that prevent violence.
• Hurts the economy and harms hardworking Americans who cannot keep up with the high cost of living by gutting Economic Development Administration (EDA) programs that mainly serve rural communities, as well as International Trade Administration (ITA) programs that promote U.S. exports and fight the unfair trade practices of other countries.
• Continues Republicans’ attacks on America’s scientific and economic competitiveness by cutting billions from science, technology development, STEM education, and aeronautics research of NASA and the National Science Foundation.
• Promotes and increases waste, fraud, and abuse by cutting oversight and investigation funding for numerous agency offices of Inspector General.

Commerce, Justice, Science Subcommittee Ranking Member Grace Meng’s (D-NY-06) opening remarks.

“This appropriations bill will abandon small businesses and hard-working Americans, weaken law enforcement, and surrender our nation’s competitive edge,” said Congresswoman Meng. “It fails to fix the many problems caused by this administration’s failures and Elon Musk’s DOGE team this year, and in fact, it further exacerbates many of these problems. At a time when Americans are worried about gun violence, hate crimes, and the opioid epidemic, this bill delivers a devastating blow to the Federal law enforcement agencies that protect them. We should be investing more, not less, in the safety and security of the American people. Perhaps most shortsighted of all, this bill disinvests in the scientific research that drives American innovation, technological leadership, and economic competitiveness. I believe that all of this is the wrong approach for the CJS appropriations bill.”

From Appropriations Committee Ranking Rosa DeLauro’s (D-CT-03) opening remarks:

“This bill doubles down on Republicans’ pro-billionaire, pro-corporation, anti-science, and anti-rule of law agenda. This bill turns its back on Republicans’ promises to rural communities, underfunding programs that create jobs and revive economically distressed communities, especially in rural America…This bill makes families, women, children, and all of our communities less safe, by slashing funding for the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, limiting Federal efforts to help state and local law enforcement combat gun violence, drug trafficking, and organized crime; and by slashing legal services, Violence Against Women Act grants, Juvenile Justice grants, Community Violence Intervention and Prevention grants, hate crime prevention grants, and other resources that prevent violence...Americans expect a few things of their country: A fair economy. Safety for their families and respect for the rule of law. Consequences for corruption. This bill fails to deliver on every one of these fronts.”

A summary of the bill is here. A fact sheet is here. The text of the bill is here. Information on Community Project Funding in the bill is here.

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