Trump administration drops $1.8 billion 'anti-weaponization fund' after bipartisan backlash

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]Floor is yours.

[00:00:03]>> Thank you. Thank [clears throat] you very much, Chairman Rogers and ranking member Mang as well and members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to present President Trump's fiscal year 2027 budget for the Department of Justice.

[00:00:16]As you all know, the request totals 41.2 billion, which is a 13% increase over fiscal year 2026, underscoring our department's renewed focus on reducing violent crime, combating the fentanyl crisis, strengthening the border and immigration enforcement, expanding fraud prevention, and ensuring that our law enforcement agencies have the resources they need to protect the American people.

[00:00:42]Violent crime reduction remains one of the department's highest priorities.

[00:00:47]Since January 20th, 2025, the Department of Justice has indicted more than 260 TDA members, crippling leadership, and dismantling operational networks.

[00:01:01]Across our major law enforcement components, the results have been historic.

[00:01:06]Federal law enforcement helped drive a 20% increase decrease in the national murder rate in 2025, arrested 44,000 violent offenders, which is double the previous year, and seized over 2,200 kg of fentanyl.

[00:01:23]Last year, law enforcement captured eight of the FBI's 10 most wanted fugitives, located 6,300 missing children, and arrested more than 2,000 child predators.

[00:01:35]The DEA has made thousands of fentanyl-related arrests and seized millions of fentanyl pills and hundreds of kilograms of fentanyl powder.

[00:01:44]In an August surge alone, DEA executed over 600 arrests, seized multi-ton quantities of narcotics, and recovered more than 11 million in drug proceeds.

[00:01:57]DEA continues to disrupt global supply chains from source to street. The United States Marshals Service, which is one of the smallest federal law enforcement agencies with rough roughly 3,800 deputies, arrested more than 73,000 fugitives, conducted 308,000 prisoner movements, housed over 55,000 detainees, and provided protection for 18 federal protectees, including Supreme Court justices' residences.

[00:02:26]The Marshals also, as you all know, manage over 10.4 billion in seized assets, and remain essential to federal judicial security.

[00:02:35]ATF continues to be a leader in the federal effort to combat violent crime.

[00:02:40]Since January 2025, ATF has arrested more than more than 8,700 violent offenders and seized nearly 44,000 illegal firearms, including 5,100 interdicted before reaching their destination of Mexico. ATF agents also seized 2.7 million rounds of illegal ammunition, more than 28,300 illegal explosives, and conducted over 3,500 arson and explosives [clears throat] investigations.

[00:03:10]To sustain these historic results, the fiscal year 2027 budget includes 22.2 billion for DOJ's law enforcement components and US Attorneys' offices.

[00:03:21]This is a 16% increase over fiscal year 2026.

[00:03:26]These investments build on our tremendous progress and will ensure continued momentum in violent crime reduction nationwide.

[00:03:35]We are also strengthening immigration enforcement efforts.

[00:03:38]The Executive Office for Immigration Review has reduced the immigration case backlog by more than 447,000 cases since President Trump took office.

[00:03:50]The budget provides almost 900 million for EOR to continue rebuilding its workforce and a modernized case processing systems.

[00:04:00]Across the entire Department of Justice, nearly $4 billion supports immigration-related enforcement activities.

[00:04:07]And finally, the department launched the National Fraud Enforcement Division to expand federal fraud enforcement and better protect taxpayer-funded programs.

[00:04:16]The budget includes $30 million to hire 100 attorneys and enhance data analytics capabilities with a goal of combating large-scale criminal fraud schemes.

[00:04:28]DOJ is also modernizing the grants process by consolidating COPS, OJP, and OVW into the new Bureau of Justice Grants.

[00:04:37]The goal is provide a unified and simplified approach to federal grant making while preserving the missions of each office.

[00:04:46]The department also faces serious budgetary constraints.

[00:04:51]Fiscal year 2026 marked the second year of flat budgets for several components, basically equating to a decrease in funding because costs and expenses increase year-over-year.

[00:05:02]The Bureau of Prisons remains under resourced, funded at 8.1 billion, almost 300 million below fiscal year 2025.

[00:05:11]It risks insolvency without additional support.

[00:05:15]The president's request of 10.3 billion is essential to restore staffing and to maintain safe and secure facilities.

[00:05:24]In closing, the fiscal year 2027 budget reflects our unwavering commitment to public safety, strong law enforcement partnerships, and responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

[00:05:35]With your continued support, the Department of Justice will remain strong, effective, and fully equipped to protect the American people. Thank you, and I look forward to answering your questions, Chairman.

[00:05:48]>> Thank you, General.

[00:05:49]We will now proceed under the 5-minute rule with questions for the witness.

[00:05:55]And I'll begin by recognizing myself.

[00:06:01]We all too well drug trafficking and drug abuse continue to devastate our communities and towns.

[00:06:12]In December of 2015, President Trump designated fentanyl as a weapon of mass destruction by executive order.

[00:06:24]How has that historic designation aided the department in its fight against illicit fentanyl?

[00:06:33]And please share how your 2017 budget request reflects that designation.

[00:06:41]>> Thank you. So, look, I think calling um calling the the men that are sending poison to this country terrorists um is exactly what they are. And what it does by President Trump doing that is not only there's resources that are more readily available because of that designation, but it also allows our Homeland Security Task Force um around the country, there's one in every single state um to effectively focus on on not only the the narco-terrorists that are in Mexico and South America, but the the the drug dealers that are on our streets and our communities, rural communities, city communities, um everybody's affected by fentanyl. It remains a priority of this department. It will be a priority for as long as President Trump is in office.

[00:07:25]And and that's why you see that we have a um an increase that we're asking for more DEA agents, we're asking for for more money, and and it's exactly to combat that problem.

[00:07:37]Let me turn to