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.

Committee on the Judiciary

2025-05-15

Source: Congress.gov

Summary

The meeting covered several critical legislative items and nominations, primarily focusing on honoring law enforcement during Police Week and considering bills aimed at supporting officers and enhancing public safety [ 00:26:36 ]

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. Throughout the session, members engaged in a contentious debate regarding the Department of Justice's responsiveness to congressional oversight requests and recent changes to grant funding . The proceedings concluded abruptly without achieving a quorum, which delayed votes on the scheduled nominations and bills .

Themes

Bipartisan Support for Law Enforcement

The committee demonstrated strong bipartisan commitment to law enforcement, especially during National Police Week, acknowledging the dedication and sacrifices of officers across the country [ 00:26:36-00:26:41 ]

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. Chairman Grassley and Ranking Member Durbin co-sponsored a resolution honoring 234 fallen officers, which passed the Senate with overwhelming support from over 80 co-sponsors [ 00:27:36-00:28:03 ]

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. Several bills were advanced or discussed, including the Honoring Our Fallen Heroes Act, which addresses service-related cancers among first responders . Other legislative efforts included a bill to protect first responders from secondary fentanyl exposure and the Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act, designed to leverage the skills of retired officers . The Protect Our Children Reauthorization Act, focused on combating online child exploitation, and the Strong Communities Act, aimed at enhancing officer recruitment and retention, also received attention . Furthermore, the STOIC Act for officer mental health support and the Improving Police Critical Aid for Responding to Emergencies (IPCARE) Act, providing trauma care training for first-arriving officers, were highlighted .

Department of Justice Oversight and Grant Funding

A significant portion of the meeting was dedicated to concerns over the Department of Justice's (DOJ) responsiveness to oversight requests and its recent management of grant funding . Senator Durbin criticized Attorney General Bondi for a perceived lack of transparency regarding a legal memorandum related to President Trump's potential acceptance of a private jet from Qatar, raising questions about emoluments clause violations and Bondi's prior work as a lobbyist for Qatar . Chairman Grassley, while affirming the right of all members to receive answers, drew parallels to the Biden administration's unresponsiveness to his 144 oversight letters during the previous Congress . The discussion heavily focused on recent DOJ grant terminations, with Senators Coons, Whitehouse, and Padilla expressing alarm over cuts to programs like Project Safe Neighborhoods, the Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Act, CARA, and the Second Chance Act [ 00:45:31-00:45:37 ]

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. These members questioned new criteria for grants, which they suggested might politicize funding based on issues such as immigration enforcement, COVID-19 vaccination policies, or "gender ideology" .

Challenges in Senate Nominations and Procedures

The meeting also addressed procedural hurdles in the Senate regarding nominations, particularly for U.S. Attorneys [ 01:02:41-01:02:47 ]

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. Senator Durbin emphasized the importance of the "blue slip" tradition, which allows home-state senators to influence appointments in their states . He voiced concern over a new precedent requiring individual roll call votes for each U.S. Attorney nominee, a practice that significantly increases the time required for confirmations compared to the past . Durbin further criticized the use of "daisy chain" interim appointments for U.S. Attorneys, asserting that this process undermines the Senate's constitutional "advise and consent" role by allowing repeated temporary appointments without full review . Chairman Grassley noted the extensive floor time such a process would consume for all 93 U.S. Attorney positions .

Tone of the Meeting

The meeting exhibited a multifaceted tone, blending strong bipartisan consensus on supporting law enforcement with noticeable partisan friction over executive branch oversight and grant administration [ 00:26:36-00:26:41 ]

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. Members conveyed deep respect and admiration for police officers, particularly during Police Week, and showed unity in advancing related legislation . However, discussions regarding the Department of Justice were sharply critical, with Democrats accusing the administration of politicizing grant funding and resisting legitimate oversight . Republicans, in turn, highlighted past grievances about the previous administration's lack of responsiveness to their own oversight efforts . The session's abrupt end due to a lack of quorum underscored the procedural complexities and challenges within the Senate .

Participants

Transcript

Thank you.   Thank you.
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 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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