Rogers Remarks at FY25 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Bill Full Committee Markup

Thank you, Chairman Cole, and thank you for your steady hand that continues to lead us through the appropriations process.

I would also like to thank Ranking Member Cartwright, Full Committee Ranking Member DeLauro, and all Members of the Full Committee for their participation in this very important task. I would also like to thank both the Majority and Minority staff for their hard work on this bill. This morning, I am honored to present the Fiscal Year 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. 

Unfortunately, our nation is on an unsustainable fiscal path for all mandatory and discretionary spending. These ill-advised spending trends require us to make difficult decisions for the future of our country. Importantly, we must all do our part and that is how I approached the fiscal year 2025 CJS bill.

We had to make tough but needed decisions on every single account. The critics of this bill, and my friends across the aisle, will suggest that we are not spending enough on certain offices or decreasing funding levels too much across the board. However, when accusations are made, I must remind folks that just last month, the Congressional Budget Office offered a dire $50 trillion debt warning. We can, and must, do everything in our power to create a sustainable economic trajectory. This legislation, which provides a total discretionary allocation of $78.288 billion, which is effectively $1.275 billion, or 2 percent, below the fiscal year 2024 spending level, right sizes and appropriately funds the agencies under CJS jurisdiction and restrains government overreach by Washington bureaucrats. The bill uses the power of the purse to restrain the politically motivated and weaponized Department of Justice and ensures the partisan overreach of the Biden Administration is halted. The public’s trust in the Department of Justice appears to be at an all-time low, and rightfully so. 

Simply put, the FBI and ATF have lost their way and are vulnerable to improper political influence. Justice Department actions and investigations must be free from bias and politics. To that end, this bill continues to recognize the value of agents in the field and requires that the Justice Department concentrate on its core competencies, such as protecting against terrorism, combatting the production and distribution of fentanyl, and fighting those responsible for child exploitation. It also provides increased funding for the Drug Enforcement Administration as it continues to tackle fentanyl and all its supply chains, including precursor chemicals coming out of China.

Additionally, the bill provides increased funding to the Bureau of Prisons and invests heavily in local law enforcement to ensure our cities and towns are safe and secure. This bill strongly invests in our state and local police officers by providing increases above fiscal year 2024 for the Byrne JAG formula grant program and the COPS Hiring Program. The bill also refocuses DOJ’s efforts away from progressive grant programs toward bipartisan, effective grants that assist local police with addressing the opioid crisis and fighting human trafficking.

Additionally, this bill addresses China and its aggressive overreach by making considerable investments in American science agencies. This bill makes strong investments in NASA, providing an increase of $303 million above the fiscal year 2024 level.  As China continues to advance their ambitions to the Moon and beyond, it is more vital than ever that the United States maintain its leadership in space exploration, scientific research, and technology advancement. In short, the fiscal year 2025 CJS bill is an important step in the right direction and makes the right investments for our nation, our economy, our competitiveness, our security, and for the American public.

With that, I yield back.