FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2002 WWW.USDOJ.GOV AG (202) 514-2008 TDD (202) 514-1888 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Attorney General John Ashcroft today announced that the President's FY 2003 budget proposal includes $30.2 billion for the Department of Justice. Federal law enforcement programs increase by 13 percent over the funding enacted in the FY 2002 Department of Justice Appropriations Act. In total, the FY 2003 budget increases Department funding by almost 21 percent over the prior two years. The FY 2003 budget proposal consists of $23.1 billion in discretionary spending and $7.1 billion derived from fee-funded and mandatory accounts.
"Defending our nation and defending the citizens of America against terrorist attacks is the first and overriding priority of the Department of Justice," said Ashcroft. "The President's budget supports the Department's reorganization to refocus law enforcement efforts to fight the war on terrorism. Additionally, the Department continues to pursue the Administration's mission to continue the fight against drugs, and to protect the civil rights of all Americans." This budget request includes $2 billion in new program funding for ongoing counter terrorism efforts initiated since September 11th, and further new efforts proposed for FY 2003. The portion of the Department's spending directed at preventing and combating terrorism increases from $1.2 billion in FY20002 (pre-CT Supplemental) to over $3 billion in FY 2003. This budget fulfills the Administration's commitment to combat terrorism by ensuring that United States law enforcement has sufficient resources to address two critical tasks: 1) to prevent terrorism, and; 2) to bring terrorists to justice. This increased funding would improve border security, enhance operational support for field investigations, and further upgrade information technology.
The Department also remains dedicated to fighting the war on drugs. The Department's budget upholds this commitment with $74 million in new and expanded initiatives to combat the trafficking of drugs in communities and along our borders, as well as support programs aimed at reducing drug use.
In addition to these priorities, other key budget increases are provided to ensure vigorous enforcement of civil rights laws; to compensate victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks; to improve the management and services of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; and to increase federal detention and incarceration capacity.
The following highlights the Department of Justice's FY 2003 program improvements: Preventing and Combating Terrorism, Including Border Security "With a focus on antiterrorism and securing our borders, law enforcement will protect and defend our families, our values, and our rights as Americans," said Ashcroft.
* The Department received $2.1 billion in supplemental counterterrorism resources this year. Many of the items funded within the supplemental are for one-time costs that do not require further funding in FY 2003. Of the $2 billion in new counterterrorism spending included in the FY 2003 budget, $539.2 million supports ongoing activities (such as new F.B.I. Agents, New INS Border Inspectors, U.S. Attorneys for the Joint Terrorism Taskforces, and equipment and technology) that were initiated through the FY 2002 Counterterrorism Supplemental.
* In addition to supporting these newly funded efforts, the budget also proposes new increases of $1.5 billion to further enhance counterterrorism efforts. Key elements of this package include: ** $412 million in additional funds for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
*** Operational Support of Counterterrorism Field Investigations - $223 million to increase intelligence and surveillance capabilities, response capabilities, and additional equipment and support personnel.
*** Information Technology (IT) Projects - $109 million to enhance various FBI information technology projects, including digital storage of documents, data management and warehousing, collaborative capabilities, IT support for Legal Attaches, continuity of operations, video teleconferencing capabilities, and Trilogy support and mainframe data center upgrades.
*** Personnel and Information Security - $78 million to harden FBI information systems against inappropriate and illegal use and intrusion, and to conduct background investigations.
*** The total proposed FY 2003 budget for the FBI ($4.3 billion) is a 19% increase over FY 2002 ($3.6 billion pre-CT Supplemental). With these increases, the FBI budget has increased by almost one-third over the past two years (29%).
** $734 million in additional funds to improve Border Security - including more than doubling the number of Border Patrol agents on the Northern border - in the budget of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The total proposed FY 2003 budget for INS is 23 percent over the budget enacted in FY 2002 pre-CT Supplemental (including detention funding under the Detention Trustee's Office in FY 2003). Border Security funding increases consist of: *** Entry/Exit System - $362 million to fund a multi-year effort to provide a comprehensive land, sea, and air entry/exit system for the United States. The system will provide enhanced information technology and upgraded facilities along America's borders.
*** Border Security - $372 million and 570 positions (570 agents) to enhance border security. This includes $76.3 million to hire, train, and deploy an additional 570 Border Patrol agents. This increase in Border Patrol fulfills the President's commitment to increase the Patrol to over 11,000 agents as authorized in 1996. This increase also supports $25 million to redeploy approximately 285 Border Patrol agents to the Northern Border; $10 million for twin engine helicopters; $28 million to enhance Border Patrol's ENFORCE database and add biometric equipment; and $86 million and 1,225 positions to enhance security at air, land, and sea ports-of-entry with additional resources to hire, train, and deploy 1,160 inspectors ** $60 million to continue the investment in a federal law enforcement radio infrastructure for key areas such as New York and the northern and southwest borders.
** $24.1 million and 81 positions (45 agents) to increase the number of Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTF) to 56. These resources include $15.7 million for the FBI to support task force costs, and $6 million and 59 positions (48 agents) for the INS and $2.4 million and 22 positions for the USMS for task force participation.
Increasing the Commitment to the War on Drugs "The war on drugs is a war we must win to protect America's children from the devastating affects of drug abuse," Ashcroft said. "The centerpiece of our strategy in this war is to curtail the availability of drugs by dismantling the entire infrastructure of the largest supply networks, from the international supply, through the national transportation cells, and down to the regional and local distribution organizations." * The budget proposes a total of $1.6 billion including $74 million to increase programs combating drug crime. The new elements of this package are as follows: ** $24.6 million and 133 new positions to increase the DEA'S drug diversion program. This funding will strengthen the Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) enforcement capabilities to prevent, detect, and investigate the diversion of controlled substances, particularly OxyContin.
** $17.4 million, redirected from resources available to DEA, to implement Operation Containment, an Afghanistan Initiative. This initiative will employ a multi-faceted approach to identify, target, investigate, disrupt and dismantle transnational heroin trafficking organizations in Central Asia.
** $14.8 million and 66 positions (35 agents and 6 attorneys) for field support of Special Operations Division (SOD) Coordinated Investigations. This funding will enhance the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces' capabilities to conduct complex, multi-district investigations developed from SOD intelligence and coordination. These resources will be used by DEA and the Criminal Division, and will also fund state and local overtime ** $4.1 million and 27 positions (20 agents) to strengthen DEA's financial investigations to disrupt the international and domestic flow of illicit money, provide financial investigations training, and enhance regulatory and cooperative public-private efforts to prevent money laundering Ensuring Civil Rights "Essential to our republic is the right of every citizen, from every walk of life, to be free from racial hatred and discrimination," said Ashcroft. "The Department of Justice will direct significant resources to protect the Constitutional rights of all Americans." * The FY 2003 budget includes an increase of $405.8 million for the vigorous enforcement of civil rights laws. The highlights of the new initiatives include: ** $3 million and 25 positions for the review of complaints alleging civil rights abuses against Department employees, and for the oversight of departmental counter terrorism programs.
** $400 million for States to improve the voting process, a new three-year program, totaling $1.2 billion. The funds would be used for technical and procedural improvements to state and local voting systems.
** $2.8 million to promote the effective investigation, prosecution, and response to hate crimes, within the Office of Justice Programs budget.
Other Key Budget Initiatives * Rounding out the initiatives funded in the Departments FY 2003 budget request are the following: ** $102 million in additional funds for improving the management and service of the INS, including $50.5 million to process and adjudicate immigration benefits applications and $40 million to support the restructuring of INS.
** $446.9 million to fund additional prison construction and the opening of new federal prisons, as well as additional detention beds and the improved management and oversight of departmental detention programs. The budget centralizes detention funding in the newly created Office of the Detention Trustee ** $2.7 billion is included in the FY 2003 budget for the Department's September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
State and Local Assistance * Transfer of $234.5 million from DOJ's Office of Domestic Preparedness to FEMA for "First Responder" Assistance. While state and local assistance in the budget of the Justice Department decreases in FY2003, overall state and local support in the entire Federal budget increases dramatically, and is refocused on emergency first responders, whose funding is redirected and consolidated within the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) budget. FEMA's budget provides a total of $3.5 billion for first responders * COPs budget of $1.38 billion including a new $800 million provided for a new Justice Assistance Grant Program, which consolidates the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant and the Byrne Formula Grant Program into a single simplified grant program. This amount also includes $15 million to facilitate neighborhood watch programs' terrorism preparedness, and $60 million earmarked for the Boys and Girls Clubs.
* Finally, the FY 2003 budget provides $65.6 million in targeted assistance to police. This amount includes an increase of $15.6 million for Police Corps, a scholarship program designed to address violent crime by increasing the number of officers on the beat with advanced education and training; and $50 million for a COPS Information Technology Program that will allow police departments to purchase much-needed technology without requiring the redeployment of officers. 02-056
Source: US Department of Justice
