The Republican Debt Limit Plan Will Devastate Public Safety

Speaker Kevin McCarthy has released legislation to increase the debt limit and roll back federal appropriations just below Fiscal Year 2022 levels.¹ Taking appropriations back to this level would be a 9% cut compared to this year’s spending. Given press reports of intense resistance within the Republican caucus for shrinking defense discretionary spending, non-defense discretionary (and, as a result, public safety spending) is in even greater danger.² If the Defense Department and discretionary veterans’ health spending is held harmless from the across-the-board cuts while dropping to total discretionary spending levels in the House GOP bill, McCarthy’s cut balloons to 22% of the smaller pie.³

But what does it mean to make this abrupt turnaround? The annual appropriations process covers about a third of all federal spending, but it’s often the most tangible piece of what the government does, especially with how the government keeps us safe. The FBI, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the TSA, food inspection, nuclear facility inspections—all these items are at risk when the Non-Defense Discretionary (or NDD) part of the budget is in the crosshairs. Under this likely to be proposed scenario of transferring all defense cuts to non-defense non-veterans’ health spending, there would be a cut of $23.5 billion from public safety next year. Sixteen cents from every dollar cut could harm public safety.

Based on letters to the House Appropriations Committee from federal agencies, and our own calculations to fill in the blanks, we lay out what these cuts would mean for federal safety programs, including law enforcement, the administration of justice, public health, and other forms of public safety.⁴

What These Cuts Mean for Law Enforcement

The Republican budget’s effect on sworn law enforcement could result in the loss of 28,500 officers that are employed by the federal government. These devastating budget cuts would gut up to $10 billion from federal law enforcement funding.

• The Federal Bureau of Investigations would see a budget cut of $2.8 billion, resulting in the loss of 11,000 agents, analysts, and staff.⁵
• The Drug Enforcement Agency would see a budget cut of $692 million, resulting in the loss of 1,600 officers.⁶
• Customs and Border Patrol would see a budget cut of $4 billion, resulting in the loss of 2,400 officers.⁷
• The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would see a budget cut of $385 million dollars, resulting in the loss of 500 officers.⁸
• The Transportation Safety Administration would see a budget cut of $2 billion dollars, resulting in the loss of 12,400 officers.⁹
• The Capitol Police would see a budget cut of $162 million dollars, resulting in the loss of 600 sworn officers.¹⁰
• Federal support to local law enforcement through Byrne grants would decrease by an average of $30,000 per department, stifling law enforcement and justice proceedings in every state.¹¹

What These Cuts Do to Our Judicial System

Our judicial system is central to the administration of justice in our country. Between prosecution, trials by jury, and federal prisons, there are $4.5 billion of resources at risk under the Republican budget, with the potential loss of 12,000 justice jobs.

• The Federal Bureau of Prisons would see a budget cut of $1.9 billion, resulting in the loss of 8,700 prison guards and support staff.¹²
• The Federal Court System would see a budget cut of $1.9 billion, crippling the timely administration of justice throughout the country.¹³
• Federal Prosecutors in charge of prosecuting everything from corruption to hate crimes, to terrorism would see a budget cut of $580 million, resulting in the loss of 3,400 prosecutors and support staff.¹⁴

How These Cuts Gut Public Health

The Food and Drug Administration protects our public health by ensuring the security and safety of food, drugs, and medical devices. With the Republican budget, nearly $1 billion of resources are at risk, with the potential loss of 2,300 jobs.

• The Food and Drug Administration would see a budget cut of $790 million, resulting in the loss of 2,300 staff.¹⁵
• Within FDA, Federal Food Inspectors making sure we don’t get sick from what we eat would see a budget cut of $250 million, resulting in the loss of 1,800 inspectors and support staff.¹⁶

How Else Do the Cuts Make Us Less Safe?

The Republican budget cuts would gut many other parts of public safety in the United States.

• Federal Aviation Administration and Air Traffic Control would see a budget cut of $3.3 billion, jeopardizing 9,400 positions. This would back up American airspace and slow the transportation of goods and people across the country.¹⁷
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission would see a budget cut of $200 million, resulting in the loss of 600 staff across the country that are in charge of protecting Americans from the risks of radioactive materials.¹⁸
• The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service would see a budget cut of $258 million, resulting in the loss of 1,900 inspectors and support staff.¹⁹
• The Federal Emergency Management Agency would see a budget cut of $2.5 billion, resulting in the loss of 3,200 staff that help Americans cope and recover when disaster strikes in their community.²⁰
• The Mine Safety and Health Administration would see a budget cut of $85 million, resulting in the loss of 400 staff that enforce safety standards in mines and work to improve the health of the nation’s mines.²¹
• The National Transportation and Safety Board would see a budget cut of $28 million, resulting in the loss of 100 staff that investigate safety incidents, like crashes or derailments, in all forms of transportation.²²
• The US Army Corps of Engineers would see a budget cut of $1.8 billion, leading to the loss of 5,000 civilian workers that ensure the nation’s infrastructure remains sound.²³