WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, Ranking Member of the newly formed Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, today took part in a hearing on the FY2006 budget of the Department of Justice. Senator Mikulski, the senior Democrat on the Subcommittee, outlined her priorities to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars while protecting the Department of Justice programs that keep Americans safe.

Senator Mikulski’s opening remarks, as prepared, can be found below:

“Welcome Attorney General Gonzales, to your first hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. You have taken over the Department of Justice during important and challenging times for the Department and for the country.

“As the Attorney General, you have one of the most important missions in our government: protect America from a predatory attack by international terrorists, and protect Americans from predatory attacks by criminals on our streets and in our neighborhoods. This is the mission of the Department of Justice. You are the nation’s chief of law enforcement. You oversee critical agencies, like the FBI, DEA, ATF and the Marshals Service.

“I have served as a member of this Subcommittee for many years. This is my first year ranking on the Commerce-Justice-Science Subcommittee. I think we have great opportunities in this bill to help build a stronger and safer America. The Justice Department is a crucial component. The Justice Department is essential to making America stronger, through counter-intelligence that identifies and roots out threats against US interests, and by building stronger communities that can absorb returning prisoners and keep out criminals and gangs.

“The Justice Department makes America safer, by funding cops on the beat, police equipment and training. Protecting our protectors, by rigorously enforcing the law and by breaking up terrorist cells, whether it’s Al Qaeda or the notorious MS-13 street gang.

“The fiscal year 2006 budget request for the Department of Justice is $20.3 billion, a $180 million – or 1% - increase above fiscal year 2005 enacted levels. However, if we include proposed rescissions, the budget request is $1.2 billion below the fiscal year 2005 level. I believe that the Department’s priorities are good healthy increases for the FBI and Bureau of Prisons, and increases for the Marshals Service, ATF and DEA. But I am concerned that cuts to Justice’s core programs will undermine the Department’s ability to build a stronger and safer America. Of particular concern is drastic cuts to local law enforcement programs and an irresponsible $1.3 billion rescission from the Crime Victims Fund.

“My job is to make sure that the Department stands sentry on protecting Americans and to ensure that we are getting bang for the taxpayers’ buck. When Americans invest in the Justice Department, they need to know they are investing in a stronger and safer America.

“In order for our national law enforcement strategy to work, we need all of our law enforcement agencies to be at their best. We saw that in Maryland in 2002, when John Mohammed and John Lee Malvo went on a random killing spree that terrorized the region. The law enforcement response to the sniper attacks is a model for the nation. During the Sniper’s reign of terror, the ATF and FBI cooperated with local law enforcement without federalizing the investigation. At the request of Chief Moose, the ATF and the FBI sent teams of agents to Montgomery County. The FBI and ATF were heroic, not only were they agents on the beat, but they were also our investigative, ballistics, and forensics experts.

“We owe a debt of gratitude to the ATF and FBI agents, but this was not a federalized process. The feds needed local law enforcement; they really formed a brotherhood of the beltway. I want to get to the FBI, but before I do it is important to stress that the hallmark of local law enforcement is local. Local law enforcement agencies need support so they can support federal efforts, they need the resources to respond to unexpected challenges, but they also need resources to meet the day to day challenges of law enforcement, like drugs, gangs and violence.

“I am concerned about how this budget will affect local law enforcement agencies. The Office of Justice Programs is on the chopping block in this budget – the budget requests $1.5 billion, which is a 46% cut from last year. Byrne grants to local law enforcement are eliminated. The COPS program is cut by $489 million, an 80% cut. Juvenile Justice is cut by $175 million, a 45% cut. These cuts are shortsighted. We need to know the consequences of these cuts, and we need to make sure we’re right funding and smart funding, not underfunding.

“I have served for four years as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Senator Shelby chaired the Committee during my first two years. We know that there is much to do on intelligence reform. September 11 fundamentally changed the way we think about our security, but people tend to forget the urgency we felt after 9/11. We cannot forget. We need a sense of urgency and we need to get it right. This is a unified effort: we must stand together as the red, white and blue party.

“The Department of Justice has a renewed purpose. Its number one goal is now ‘preventing terrorism and promoting the nation’s security.’ The fiscal year 2006 budget for the Department of Justice reflects this priority: Department-wide you are requesting $3.1 billion for counterterrorism. The budget requests an increase of $565 million for the FBI. The increased funding would pay for more intelligence analysts, better language training and consolidation and monitoring of terrorist watch lists. I am supportive of these increases and supportive of the FBI’s efforts to transform itself, but I am concerned about the financial integrity of the FBI, in light of the serious missteps with the TRILOGY system. I want to work with you to ensure that the FBI spends funds efficiently, and that the mission is not bogged down in bureaucratic boondoggles.

“The Department’s fiscal year 2006 budget shows a commitment to tackling one of the worst problems facing our communities: the surge in gang violence. Gangs exist in over 3,000 American cities. They are more brutal, and more ghoulish than the gangs of the past. There are many parts of the Department involved in the war on gangs: FBI, ATF, Marshall’s Service and the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. In all, the budget requests $250 for gang prevention and prosecution, a $15 million increase above last year. We need to make sure that these agencies are coordinating their efforts, and that we are getting results. I will have some questions for the Attorney General on this subject.

“I am also interested to hear what the Department is doing to prepare communities and inmates for prisoner release; 650,000 prisoners will be released this year. The Department has a crucial role to play here. Reintegration programs are a smart investment. They ensure a more productive workforce, stronger families and safer communities. The Maryland Reentry Partnership, funded by a federal Justice grant, costs $3,000 per participant versus $25,000 a year for jail costs. 70% of the ex-offenders in this program do not return to prison. I want to be a partner to the Attorney General and the President on prisoner reentry.

“I look forward to the Attorney General’s testimony and hearing his priorities and ideas of areas for improvement for the Department. You face many challenges. We want to help you meet them.”

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