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FEDERALhearing transcript
High Impact

Senate Hearing on the 2017 Department of Justice Budget

Original title: COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017

January 1, 2015

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The Frame

What this does

The proposed $802 million increase in Department of Justice spending would impact federal law enforcement staffing, cybersecurity defense, and the administration of pardon and commutation programs for federal inmates.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Federal Law Enforcement Agencies

These agencies would receive increased funding for staffing and cybersecurity operations.

Federal Inmates

The budget impacts the resources available for pardon and commutation petition reviews.

Gun Owners and Purchasers

The addition of 200 ATF staff and investigators may change the frequency or nature of industry operations investigations.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2015.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee reviewed the Department of Justice's proposed $29.9 billion budget for fiscal year 2017. Senators questioned Attorney General Loretta Lynch on spending priorities, including cybersecurity, gun control enforcement, the federal prison budget, and the heroin crisis.

Key Facts

  • The President requested a total Department of Justice budget of $29.9 billion for 2017, an increase of $802 million.
  • The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is slated for $66 million in additional funding to hire 200 new staff, including 80 special agents and 120 investigators.
  • The Office of Pardon Attorney requested $2.8 million to increase staffing for reviewing pardon and commutation petitions.
  • The Bureau of Prisons budget is proposed to increase by $238 million despite a projected decline in the federal prisoner population.
  • The Department requested $121 million for cybersecurity, including $85 million for the FBI, $8 million for the DEA, and $26 million for Information Sharing Technology.
  • The hearing addressed the President's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
  • Senator Mikulski highlighted a heroin crisis, noting 578 heroin-related deaths in Maryland in the previous year.

Why It Matters

The proposed $802 million increase in Department of Justice spending would impact federal law enforcement staffing, cybersecurity defense, and the administration of pardon and commutation programs for federal inmates.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is the Department of Justice requesting for the 2017 budget?
The total request is $29.9 billion, which represents an $802 million increase over the previous year.
What is the proposed funding for cybersecurity?
The Department requested $121 million total, split between the FBI ($85 million), the DEA ($8 million), and the Information Sharing Technology account ($26 million).
Why is the Bureau of Prisons budget increasing?
The hearing transcript does not provide a specific justification; however, Senator Shelby questioned why the budget is rising by $238 million while the federal prisoner population is declining.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Prison Budget vs. Population

The subcommittee identified a discrepancy where the Bureau of Prisons budget is increasing despite a declining federal prisoner population.

Connected Entities

personLoretta E. LynchAttorney General of the United StatesMap →
organizationDepartment of JusticeFederal department requesting the budgetMap →
organizationOffice of Pardon AttorneyProposed recipient of $2.8 million for petition reviewsMap →
personBarbara A. MikulskiRanking member of the Senate Appropriations SubcommitteeMap →
organizationBureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and ExplosivesProposed recipient of $66 million in additional fundingMap →
personRichard C. ShelbyChairman of the Senate Appropriations SubcommitteeMap →
organizationBureau of PrisonsProposed budget increase of $238 millionMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy65
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment40
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz30
    Current news / social attention level

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