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Ahead of GOP crime hearing in NYC, Schumer calls for Republicans to fund FBI, DOJ
By
Verónica Del Valle
Published Apr 16, 2023
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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
By
Verónica Del Valle
Published Apr 16, 2023
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Ahead of a Republican-led Congressional hearing in Manhattan about violent crime in New York, Sen. Chuck Schumer on Sunday criticized GOP leaders for failing to denounce calls from former President Donald Trump to slash funding for the FBI and Department of Justice.
Trump earlier this month wrote on his social media platform Truth Social that Congress should reduce funding for the agencies “until they come to their senses.” The post came a day after he was arraigned in Manhattan criminal court and charged with34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
Schumer during a news conference on Sunday said leaders of the Republican-controlled House should denounce Trump’s call to cut the agencies’ budgets, noting the FBI and DOJ conduct major drug and anti-terror investigations in New York.
"There is right now deafening silence from the House GOP about it," Schumer said of Trump’s post.
Schumer said Republicans should be investing in law enforcement to help keep the city safe.
"New York City's a center of terrorism," said Schumer. "The FBI's a bulwark against it."
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has yet to publicly comment on Trump’s call to defund the law enforcement agencies.
Judiciary Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) said during a Fox News interview earlier this month that law enforcement agencies that engage in “the most egregious behavior” could face extra scrutiny as Congress works on a federal budget.
McCarthy and Jordan will lead a hearing in Manhattan on Monday, during which Republicans said they plan to criticize the city’s handling of crime as well as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
The House Judiciary Committee plans to accuse Bragg of implementing policies that are "pro-crime, anti-victim," according to the notice for the hearing.
The argument from House Republicans contradicts crime data, which puts New York's per-capita violent crime rates below that of other large U.S. cities.
The committee has announced several speakers ahead of the hearing, including a Harlem deli worker accused of killing a man. The worker, Jose Alba, was initially charged with murder before Bragg’s office dropped the case, stating he was defending himself from a man who accosted him behind the counter.
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public safety
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Verónica Del Valle
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