White House Budget Boosts Law Enforcement, Border Patrol Funding
President Biden’s proposed $6.9 trillion Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 budget includes a number of provisions that will impact the federal law enforcement community, beyond the proposed pay raise of 5.2 percent for federal workers and members of the military.
The budget includes an increase in funding for law enforcement, as crime remains a major issue in the nation. According to a recent Gallup poll, 70 percent of those respondents said they are dissatisfied with the nation’s overall policies on crime.
“The President believes we can and must do more to prevent and reduce crime and save lives,” the White House wrote.
Federal Law Enforcement Investments
The budget includes $17.8 billion for Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement, an increase of $1.2 billion from the FY 2023 funding level.
· $1.9 billion for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to add additional personnel to expand gun trafficking strike forces, increase firearms regulation, and implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. The law, signed last year, expands background checks and cracks down on gun dealers and gun trafficking.
· $1.9 billion for the U.S. Marshals Service to support its efforts to find fugitives and crack down on violent crime.
· $2.9 billion for U.S. Attorneys, including 130 new personnel to prosecute violent crimes.
· The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) would receive an additional $51 million to support enhanced gun background checks.
· The U.S. Capitol Police would receive a funding boost of 14 percent to $841 million. The department sought more money following the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Accountable Policing Efforts
The budget allocation for DOJ includes $4.9 billion for state and local grants to improve public safety and fully fund the President’s Safer America Plan, including funding to put 100,000 police officers on the streets for “accountable community policing.”
The president is also requesting a 33 percent funding boost to the DOJ Office of Civil Rights with the aim of conducting pattern and practice investigations, prosecuting hate crimes, and enforcing voting rates.
The budget also includes $717 million, an $86 million increase, for tribal public safety and justice funding at the Department of the Interior.
Cyber Security
The budget earmarks $63 million to build cyber investigation capabilities at FBI field offices. The money would be used to hire additional FBI agents to pursue cyber threats, as well as strengthening intelligence collection and analysis.
Homeland Security Funding
For the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the administration allocated $60.4 billion in discretionary funding, less than the $61 billion enacted in FY 2023.
Nearly $25 billion is earmarked for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), an increase of almost $800 million over the FY 2023 level.
The funds will allow CBP to hire an additional 350 border patrol agents, update its border security technology, fight fentanyl trafficking, and hire processing assistants.
ICE could use the money to process an increasing asylum caseload, reduce the immigration benefits request backlog, and improve refugee processing.
Meanwhile, the budget also includes provisions to increase TSA pay and ensure the Secret Service is equipped to handle the presidential campaign season.
DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said of the budget, “It equips our Department to address the threats of today and prepare for the threats of tomorrow.”
General
The budget proposal serves as an opening bid in negotiations. Republicans have been quick to criticize various aspects of the proposal.
“They only add 350 people to the Border Patrol to police the southern border, which is, we all acknowledge, is a national emergency, national security crisis. And then they fund defense at below the rate of inflation, 3 percent increase for defense, 15 percent increase for the IRS. If that doesn't talk about what your priorities are, I don't know what is,” said Senator John Thune (R-SD), the number two Republican in the Senate.