Staff Reports
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan has suggested a new idea: stop giving money to state prosecutors and attorneys general who are accused of unfairly using their power for political reasons. The Ohio Republican, who also leads the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, sent a letter to Rep. Tom Cole, the Oklahoma Republican and Appropriations Committee chairman, outlining his ideas for the budget in 2025.
Mr. Jordan said that his subcommittee has been looking into cases where prosecutors are using their power for political reasons and not to seek justice. He wants the Appropriations Committee to add language to the budget to stop giving money to prosecutors who do this.
Republicans recommend defunding state and local prosecutors engaged in politicized 'lawfare' https://t.co/W1tZ4vRNzm
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) June 3, 2024
In addition to Mr. Jordan’s proposal, the Judiciary Committee passed two specific bills that Republican lawmakers want to be considered for the budget. These are the No More Political Prosecutions Act and the Forfeiture Funds Expenditure Transparency Act.
Senate Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin, a Democrat from Illinois, said that the House Republicans’ plan to take money away from prosecutors who are making cases against former President Trump could make it harder to negotiate the budget. He said that fighting with Republicans who support Mr. Trump makes the whole budget process more complicated.
Republicans have been watching the Justice Department closely because of the four cases against former President Trump in the past two years. A jury in Manhattan found Mr. Trump guilty on all 34 counts in his hush-money trial, making him the first former U.S. president convicted of a felony crime.
Mr. Jordan also said in his letter that his committees have heard about problems and misconduct at the FBI. He wants the Appropriations Committee to stop giving money to the FBI for things that are not necessary for its work, like building a new headquarters.
He also wants to protect FBI whistleblowers from being punished for speaking out against wrongdoing at the bureau. Other ideas from Mr. Jordan’s committees aim to stop giving money to the Biden administration’s immigration policies and to prevent government censorship.
Overall, Mr. Jordan and his committees are trying to bring about changes in government spending that reflect their conservative values and concerns about the use of power for political reasons.
