Gosar Amendments Pass House—Funds Re-Directed to Programs That Matter

Gosar Amendments Pass House—Funds Re-Directed to Programs That Matter

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) issued the following statement after three of his amendments to the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (HR 4660), passed the House of Representatives:

"I have set a goal to cut as much waste, fraud and abuse out of our federal government as I can. My three amendments to the Commerce, Justice and Science appropriations bill that passed the House today shows that many of my colleagues feel the same way and we can make real progress to better utilizing taxpayer money."

"My first amendment cut $4.25 million from the Office of Justice Programs Research, Evaluation, and Statistics budget. This amount was the unnecessary increase added above the fiscal year 2014 level, and instead that money was redirected to the Byrne-JAG grant program to bolster law enforcement nationwide. Especially in Arizona, law enforcement officials have told me how important this JAG money is, so I wanted to make sure a good program that protects citizens receives the resources necessary to lower crime as opposed to a questionable program getting an unneeded increase."

"With my second amendment, I am proud to have cut $6,000,000 from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE), a mismanaged agency that perpetrated Operation Fast and Furious, and instead redirect that money to the Veterans’ Treatment Courts program. The Veterans Treatment Court Program has proven results in helping Veterans and is a proper use of government funds.

"My third amendment cut $8 million from Department of Justice bureaucrats and transferred that money to bolster Prescription Drug Monitoring activities. Prescription drug abuse is increasing and leading to higher rates of heroin use. This is one area that needs more attention."

"The appropriations process is part of getting back to regular order. It is through this process that Congress should be evaluating each spending program for its efficacy. Congress should cut those which are wasteful and inefficient, and bolster those that are worthwhile and serve a public function. I am pleased to have been part of such a process today and make important changes that better utilize taxpayer money."

BACKGROUND

The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (HR 4660), is presently being debated on the floor of the House. Congressman Gosar submitted three Amendments to the spending bill that redirect money from questionable programs to better programs. All three amendments passed the House with unanimous consent.

The outline of the amendments are as follows:

This first Gosar amendment, the text of which can be found HERE redirects $6,000,000 from the BATFE and was reprogrammed to bolster the Veterans Treatment Courts initiative, a relatively new program which is already yielding positive results. BATFE’s salaries and expenses were increased by $21 million from FY 14 levels, with a proposed appropriation of $1.2 billion overall in this bill for the agency. This is a modest amount to redirect from a mismanaged BATFE to a worthy treatment program for veterans. Click HERE to read Rep. Gosar's remarks about this amendment.

The second Gosar amendment, the text of which can be found HERE, took from the Legal Activities Account from the Department of Justice, which saw a $26 million increase from fiscal year 2014 levels. The amendment took $8 million from office space for DOJ bureaucrats in order to bolster Prescription Drug Monitoring activities. Prescription drug abuse is increasing and leading to higher rates of heroin use. This epidemic is destroying lives and families and must be addressed. Click HERE to read Rep. Gosar's remarks about this amendment.

The OJP-Research, Evaluation, and Statistics budget was increased by $4.25 million from FY 14 levels. The third Gosar amendment, the text of which can be found HERE, took that increase and redirected those funds to the Byrne-JAG grant program to bolster law enforcement nationwide. Click HERE to read Rep. Gosar's remarks about this amendment.

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