Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland wants $85 million in additional funding from Congress for the Justice Department and the FBI to fight domestic terrorism, according to a copy of the AG’s opening remarks before a House Appropriations subcommittee.
This story was reported on Tuesday by Axios.
‘We have a growing fear of domestic violent extremism and domestic terrorism,’ Attorney General Merrick Garland told a U.S. House of Representatives budgeting subcommittee. ‘Both of those keep me up at night’ https://t.co/LlSCfe0Pw8 pic.twitter.com/tlR645is7i
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 5, 2021
‘White Supremacists And Right-Wing Militia Groups’
Garland testified to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science on Tuesday, “Our budget supports my commitment to protecting our national security, including addressing both international and domestic terrorism while respecting civil liberties.”
“It includes increases of $45 million for the FBI domestic terrorism investigations and $40 million for the U.S. attorneys to manage increasing domestic terrorism caseloads,” Garland added.
This request is of special significance considering that intelligence agencies have repeatedly claimed that there is currently an “elevated” threat from violent extremists against the country.
Axios noted, “The attorney general has pledged to crack down on violence linked to white supremacists and right-wing militia groups, and has made prosecuting those involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol siege his top priority.”
NEW: Attorney General Merrick Garland is requesting $85 million more in funding from Congress to fight domestic terrorism. https://t.co/aJO5k8MZGX
— Axios (@axios) May 4, 2021
Garland: ‘More Dangerous Period Than We Faced In Oklahoma City’ Bombing’
Garland warned Congress in February that “we are facing a more dangerous period than we faced in Oklahoma City.”
Garland was referring to the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh. 168 people were killed in the attack and over 680 others were injured.
Domestic terrorism poses an ‘elevated’ threat in 2021, intelligence report warns https://t.co/1pRdH4mUM4
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) March 18, 2021
Breaking Down The Numbers
Axios broke down Garland’s ask to Congress, “The Justice Department is seeking a $45 million increase in funding for the FBI for domestic terrorism investigations and $40 million for U.S. attorneys to manage domestic terrorism cases.”
“Garland will also ask Congress to increase the agency’s civil rights funding by $33 million in part to help protect voting rights and prosecute hate crimes,” the news outlet added.
The report also noted, “DOJ also wants an additional $232 million to combat gun violence, and $304 million to go toward community-oriented policing programs and addressing systemic inequities.”
It was recently revealed that the United States Postal Service has been running a covert program to spies on Americans’ social media posts, ostensibly for the purpose of monitoring and tracking “extremists.”
Yahoo describes the program: “The work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as “inflammatory” postings and then sharing that information across government agencies.”
This article was originally published by the Political Insider. Read the original article.
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