Business meeting to consider S.180, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the use of grant amounts for providing training and resources for first responders on the use of containment devices to prevent secondary exposure to fentanyl and other potentially lethal substances, and purchasing such containment devices for use by first responders, S.237, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide public safety officer benefits for exposure-related cancers, S.419, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to reauthorize grants to support law enforcement officers and families, S.539, to reauthorize the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2008, S.911, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include certain retired law enforcement officers in the public safety officers' death benefits program, S.1316, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide that COPS grant funds may be used for local law enforcement recruits to attend schools or academies if the recruits agree to serve in precincts of law enforcement agencies in their communities, S.1563, to amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to establish a grant program to help law enforcement agencies with civilian law enforcement tasks, S.1595, to establish standards for trauma kits purchased using funds provided under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, and the nominations of Terrance Cole, of Virginia, to be Administrator of Drug Enforcement, Gadyaces Serralta, of Florida, to be Director of the United States Marshals Service, and Jason Reding Quinones, of Florida, to be United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida for the term of four years, all of the Department of Justice.
2025-05-15
Source: Congress.gov
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We have three nominations and eight bills on the agenda. Two of the listed nominations today, Cole, Administrator of Drug Enforcement, and Sara Olata, to be Director of the U.S. Marshals Service, are being considered for the first time and under committee rules will be voted on next week. The nomination of Jason Quinones, to be US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, is ready for a vote today and I look forward to supporting his nomination. The eight bills on the committee are part of the Senate's traditional judiciary committee's longstanding bipartisan commitment to law enforcement that we do this time of the year. It's a true testament to the bipartisan nature of National Police Week. Today's markup has four Republican-led bills and four Democrat-led bills. So I thank Ranking Member Durbin and his staff for working with us on this side of the aisle to put together this agenda. And I'd like to thank all members of the committee for their continued support of this long standing tradition. Law enforcement across the country put their lives on the line every day. This year I led a resolution with Senator Durbin honoring 234 officers who made the ultimate sacrifice and are being recognized as line of duty deaths. This includes two of my fellow Iowans, Trooper Jeffrey Brown and Senior Police Officer The devotion of these officers merits our admiration and will be deeply indebted to them.
I'm pleased my resolution with Senator Durbin passed the Senate with over 80 co-sponsors, demonstrating the overwhelming support of the United States Senate for law enforcement. The bills on today's agenda are a good example of extensive problems facing our law enforcement community. They deal with recruitment and retention issues, protecting law enforcement from the dangers of fentanyl, providing law enforcement with the equipment they need to serve our communities, protecting families of first responders, and providing resources for mental health of law enforcement. Like my colleagues, I back the blue. When I see law enforcement, I'll take the chance to tell them, thank you for keeping the peace and I'm not for defending the police. That's why I'm pleased that we're able to have so many bills on the agenda. Each of the bills will help law enforcement first responders throughout our nation. Once these bills are out of committee, I look forward to quickly moving them on the Senate floor. I've heard some criticism from Democrats about the Trump administration's reallocation of resources within the Justice Department, but there's a great deal of positive news from this administration. that we should recognize effective law enforcement and responsible spending are not incompatible. The administration's focus on returning federal law enforcement to its core mission of combating violent crime has delivered results. FBI Director Patel was sworn in only a few months ago, but under his leadership, the agency has already brought into custody
three of the top ten most wanted fugitives, including a key leader of MS-13 who has been extradited from Mexico facing justice in this country. In early March, Department of Justice and FBI secured the arrest of one of the key orchestrators of the deadly ISIS-K attack at Abbey Gate. which killed 13 young servicemen during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. More recently, in May, 115 children were rescued and 205 predators were arrested in the FBI's Operation Restore Justice, protecting our nation's most vulnerable. Even without a permanent administrator, the DEA has delivered similar results as part of Operation Take Back America in partnership with other federal and state law enforcement. The DEA accomplished its largest seizure of illicit fentanyl to date, consisting of two and seven-tenths million potential lethal pills. We could all go on. But the president's focus on taking down violent criminals has brought to justice many of the worst of the worst, targeting dangerous criminals and terrorists who threaten America's safety and way of life. And I applaud these early accomplishments and look forward to more. Part of the administration's effort to refocus on violent crime included evaluation of inappropriate spending, from the previous administration. Here are some of the examples of programs that we're spending taxpayer dollars on. We were spending over $600,000 On podcast series, blog, and academic conference presentations, seems to me we ought to use these resources to prosecute crime instead of just talking about crime.
Some grants appear to be aimed at sending children into dangerous situations to mediate gang conflict. We ought to take a hard look at that spending. That said, in April, I wrote the Justice Department for clarity about its plan To grant funds. I'd like to enter their response into the record and without opposition, I'll do that.
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