Republican colleagues of Speaker Mike Johnson anticipate he’ll be an ally of efforts to slash the budgets of federal law enforcement agencies, a rallying point for the right flank that could set up a clash in funding showdowns against the White House and Senate Democrats.
House Republicans have proposed a 2024 spending bill that would implement cuts for high-profile federal law enforcement entities, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The push reflects conservative desires to cut government spending combined with an openly hostile view of the FBI and the Justice Department over perceived political bias within the agencies.
And it dovetails with Republican outrage at the criminal cases against former President Donald Trump and the handling of the investigation into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.
The latest version of the fiscal 2024 Commerce-Justice-Science spending bill would cut topline funding for the FBI by 9 percent and execute a 12 percent topline cut for the ATF, according to a Republican explanatory report associated with the bill. Under the measure, funding for salaries and expenses would be reduced by 4 percent at the FBI and by 8 percent at the ATF.
Republicans also included a provision that would prevent the agency from funding construction of new FBI headquarters by specifying that previously appropriated but unobligated funding for new headquarters construction could only be used to sustain the current J. Edgar Hoover headquarters building in Washington.
Last week, the House voted 145-273 to reject an amendment on a different spending bill from Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., that would block funds from being used to acquire property for a new FBI headquarters. There were 70 “no” votes from Republicans. Johnson, as speaker, was not recorded in that vote.
Johnson’s office did not respond to a request for comment regarding how he might approach the topic of federal law enforcement funding.
Several of his former Judiciary Committee colleagues view the speaker as a supporter in the effort to reduce funding for the FBI and the ATF.
“I do see him as an ally in that push because he’s been here on the Judiciary Committee with us for the last seven years observing the intolerable abuses of those agencies,” Gaetz said.
Rep. Ben Cline, a Virginia Republican who also serves on the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Justice Department funding, said he thinks Johnson “recognizes the need to reduce spending for our weaponized DOJ.”
“So as to specifics, I’ll leave it to him, but I would say he’s in general agreement,” Cline said.
Another House Judiciary member, Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., expressed a similar sentiment when asked if he thought Johnson would support cutting funding to parts of federal law enforcement.
Past criticism
Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, is a staunch conservative and has been critical of the FBI, the ATF and the Justice Department during his time on the House Judiciary Committee.
During an oversight hearing with Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in September, Johnson said Americans were “witnessing every day a politicized Justice Department and a two-tiered system of justice.”
“For example, they see the DOJ of course aggressively prosecuting President Biden’s chief political rival, Mr. Trump, while at the same time they see slow walking and special treatment given to the president’s son,” Johnson said. “That’s just a fact that everybody can see with their own two eyes.”
Johnson went on to question Garland about the Hunter Biden investigation — a source of continued grievances from Republicans.
At another oversight hearing, Johnson told FBI Director Christopher Wray this summer that the American people have lost faith in the agency.
“All of our constituents are demanding that we get this situation under control, and we have to do that. That’s our responsibility. This is not a political party issue, sir. This is about whether the very system of justice in our country can be trusted anymore,” Johnson said.
The fiscal 2024 Commerce-Justice-Science bill never got a vote at the House Appropriations Committee, but Republicans have teed it up at the House Rules Committee for floor action this week.
