WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump will propose a $42 million budget increase in February to expand support for victims of human trafficking and to boost investigations and prosecutions, two administration officials told McClatchy.
The budget increase is part of a push by Ivanka Trump, the president's senior adviser and daughter, to increase attention to the illegal trade ahead of the 20th anniversary of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the first law that made human trafficking a federal crime.
The president, his daughter and Attorney General William Barr plan to attend a summit marking the occasion at the White House on Friday.
"President Trump has fought, and will continue to fight, the scourge of human trafficking in this country and abroad, ensuring that survivors can access the services they need," Ivanka Trump told McClatchy in a statement.
"He has signed more than nine pieces of legislation focused on these efforts and is proposing in his upcoming 2021 Budget to provide funding of $70 million towards enhancing prosecutorial practices of these heinous crimes at DOJ, and $123 million towards supporting state & local efforts � all above what Congress funded these efforts at the end of last year."
Trump is expected to submit his budget proposal to Congress in February.
In 2018, Ivanka Trump led successful talks with lawmakers to pass twin bills cracking down on online sex trafficking, which became law, and has worked on other legislation intended to provide additional resources to law enforcement and strengthen the federal government's ability to combat the crime.
Federal prosecutions of trafficking cases have decreased since the Obama administration. While cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline increased in 2018 by 25% from the prior year, administration officials see that as a positive development because more people are willing to report cases _ rather than an actual increase in trafficking.
"The budget provides $70 million to support and enhance the investigative and prosecutorial capacity of the Department of Justice, an increase of $4 million over 2020 enacted," a second White House official confirmed in an email. "An additional $123 million is provided for DOJ grants programs supporting State and local efforts to combat human trafficking and support victims of human trafficking, an increase of $38 million over 2020 enacted."
