February 2, 10

NEWS / Department of Justice FY 2011 Budget Request

President’s Request Supports Department’s National Security and Traditional Missions, Renewed Focus on Financial Fraud while Strengthening State, Local and Tribal Support

WASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder announced today that President Obama’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 budget proposal totals $29.2 billion for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to increase support for the department’s national security and traditional law enforcement missions, renewed focus on economic crime and financial fraud, while strengthening state, local and tribal public safety efforts. The request represents a 5.4 percent increase in budget authority and an increase of 2,880 positions over the FY 2010 enacted appropriation.

“The President’s budget request demonstrates a strong commitment to protect America and ensure the safety, security and rights of its citizens. The budget provides the department with the means necessary to protect our national security, bolster our traditional missions, and prevent and reduce crime in tandem with our state, local, tribal and community partners,” said Attorney General Holder. “We have an obligation to protect our country in smart, reliable ways at every level, be it federal, state, local or tribal. We will be aggressive in our fight against global terrorism while maintaining our collective vigilance in fighting crime and enforcing civil rights and the rule of law."

The $29.2 billion budget request funds base operations and activities for all DOJ components and includes program enhancements totaling $2 billion. The program increases address President Obama’s and Attorney General Holder’s key priorities. The budget provides critical funding for the department’s essential national security and counterintelligence programs, as well as support for its vigorous efforts to prevent, investigate and prosecute financial, mortgage and health care fraud, and its prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven strategy to combat the Mexican drug cartels and protection of the southwest border. The budget also provides funding for an expansion of the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) hiring program and resources for the department’s efforts to ensure that prison and detention programs are adequately funded and effective prisoner re-entry programs are provided.

FY 2011 program increases and key priorities include:

•$300.6 million increase to strengthen national security and counter the threat of terrorism;
•$234.6 million increase to defend the interests of the United States, including fighting financial fraud;
•$121.9 million increase to reduce violent crime and drug trafficking;
•$722.5 million increase to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement, including the Adam Walsh Act;
•$19.8 million increase to protect civil rights and vulnerable populations;
•$15 million increase to combat international organized crime;
•$527.5 million increase to maintain prisons, detention and parole services and judicial and courthouse security;
•$11 million increase to enforce immigration laws; and
•$448.8 million in total resources to ensure public safety in Indian Country.
Strengthen National Security and Counter the Threat of Terrorism

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $300.6 million increase, including 440 new positions (126 agents and 15 attorneys), to strengthen national security and counter the threat of terrorism. This represents a five percent increase in counterterrorism funding and a nine percent increase in intelligence resources over the FY 2010 levels. Overall, the FY 2011 budget request dedicates 15 percent of the department’s total discretionary budget authority to national security efforts. These funds are needed to allow the department to identify, track and defeat terrorists operating in the United States and overseas, and to fortify our intelligence analysis capabilities.

Continued advances in high speed telecommunications, computers and other technologies are creating new opportunities for terrorists and criminals. New vulnerabilities and challenges in law enforcement, including the need to ensure cyber security, require substantial investment in technology and human capital. This request will enable the department to address emerging threats and maintain the security of the nation.

Defend the Interests of the United States including Aggressive Pursuit of Financial Fraud and other Economic Crimes

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $234.6 million increase, including 708 new positions (143 agents and 157 attorneys), to restore confidence in our markets, protect the federal treasury and defend the interests of the U.S. Government. This includes an additional $96.8 million for economic fraud enforcement, which is a 23 percent increase over the FY 2010 level. This increase will continue the department’s efforts to aggressively pursue traditional law enforcement and litigation activities ranging from mortgage fraud, corporate fraud and other economic crimes, to other mission-critical activities that support the overall functioning and efficiency of the department.

In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) budget requests a $60.2 million increase specifically for DOJ components involved in the investigation and litigation of health care fraud cases. This increase will further the efforts of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced last year by Attorney General Holder and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

The department’s improved ability to collect debts, enforce tax laws and prosecute fraud will likely have high rates of return on the federal government’s investment of resources through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. This request will enable the department to help protect American savers and investors, the national financial market, and the U.S. Treasury.

Reduce Violent Crime and Drug Trafficking

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $121.9 million increase, including 60 new positions (28 agents and 6 attorneys), to reduce the threat, incidence and prevalence of violent crime and drug trafficking. Approximately $5 billion, or 17 percent, of the department’s total budget is dedicated to target these growing problems, including $1 billion for federal law enforcement to help address violent crime and $4 billion for federal drug enforcement and prosecution efforts. In addition, resources to assist DOJ’s state, local and tribal law enforcement partners combat violent crime and drugs are requested within the department’s grant programs.

This increase includes funding for several programs to protect the southwest border, including a significant expansion of and investment in the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Program, which is the centerpiece of the department’s drug enforcement and counternarcotics efforts. It also includes funding for Project Gunrunner, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ (ATF) southwest border firearms trafficking enforcement program; expanded operational capability at the Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) El Paso Intelligence Center; improved intelligence exploitation ability along the southwest border and expanded drug enforcement operations in Mexico.

Assist State, Local and Tribal Law Enforcement, including the Adam Walsh Act

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $722.5 million increase for state, local and tribal law enforcement assistance, bringing total program funding to $3.4 billion, which represents 12 percent of the department’s total budget authority. These funds will allow the department to substantially increase support to state, local and tribal police agencies that fight violent crime, combat violence against women and support victim programs. While a decrease of $188 million (five percent) is presented for state, local and tribal assistance compared to the FY 2010 enacted funding level, the FY 2011 Budget does not maintain funding for earmarks, as they bypass the competitive and formula grant processes designed to ensure that those states, communities and organizations most in need of assistance will receive it. Without $487 million in FY 2010 earmarks, state, local and tribal law enforcement assistance represents a 10 percent increase ($300 million) above the FY 2010 funding level.

The department’s request includes an additional $302 million for the COPS hiring program, bringing total program funding to $600 million. These funds, in the form of competitive grants, will enable state and local police agencies to increase the number of officers available for targeted patrol and other proven strategies designed to prevent and reduce crime.

The department requests a total of $461 million for the Office on Violence Against Women in order to provide communities with resources to combat sexual assault and violence against women. This request includes a total of $30 million for the Sexual Assault Services Program and a total of $50 million for the Legal Assistance for Victims Program.

The department requests a total of $2.2 billion for the Office of Justice Programs. This request includes $40 million for a new Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program; $10 million for a smart policing initiative; $10 million to promote smart probation initiatives; $20 million to continue implementation of the Adam Walsh Act of 2006, which established national standards for sex offender registration and notification; $37 million to assist children exposed to violence; and over $25 million, as well as a three percent grant set-aside ($55.8 million), to expand criminal justice research and statistical data gathering efforts.

Protect Civil Rights and Vulnerable Populations

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $19.8 million increase, including 99 new positions (4 agents and 43 attorneys), to protect civil rights and vulnerable populations. This increase will allow the department to strengthen its focus on enforcing fair lending and housing laws, preventing employment discrimination, protecting voting rights, and prosecuting hate crimes. It will also expand resources for protecting children from exploitation, tracking convicted sex offenders, recovering missing and abducted children, and combating sex tourism.

This request will enable the department to reinforce its work in protecting civil rights and vulnerable populations by investigating and litigating cases of discrimination, supporting community outreach programs and training efforts, and providing guidance to state, local and tribal agencies.

Combat International Organized Crime

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $15 million increase, including 18 new positions (3 agents and 7 attorneys), to combat international organized crime through continued implementation of the International Organized Crime Strategy. The Law Enforcement Strategy to Combat International Organized Crime was implemented by the Attorney General’s Organized Crime Council in April 2008 to modernize law enforcement’s approach to international organized crime. This request supports a unified strategy to dismantle international criminal organizations that have become exponentially more sophisticated.

This request will enable the department to combat the many threats posed by international organized crime entities, including cyber and intellectual property crimes and efforts to manipulate our financial, securities and commodities markets.

Maintain Prisons and Judicial Security

The FY 2011 Budget requests a $527.5 million increase to maintain prison, detention and parole functions, as well as to provide judicial and courthouse security. This request includes increases for the Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the Office of the Federal Detention Trustee (OFDT), the U.S. Parole Commission (USPC) and the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).

This increase will enable these agencies to continue to confine offenders in the controlled environments of prisons and contract- or community-based facilities. It also funds self-improvement opportunities for offenders to help them become law-abiding citizens as well as increased funding for Second Chance Act initiatives and re-entry programs to reduce recidivism. Second Chance Act initiatives include expanded transitional housing, BOP inmate correctional programs, and the District of Columbia Recidivism Reduction and Re-entry Enhancement, a new program the USPC will implement in FY 2011.

This request will enable the department to maintain and strengthen its focus on the traditional missions of law enforcement, the judicial process and federal prison and detention systems. Overall, the FY 2011 Budget requests $9 billion of the Department’s total budget authority for these efforts.

Enforce Immigration Laws

The FY 2011 Budget requests an $11 million increase, including 125 new positions (31 attorneys), to enforce immigration laws, primarily through the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). This increase will fund 21 immigration judge teams and 10 Board of Immigration Appeals attorneys, which will allow EOIR to keep pace with the caseload emanating from the Department of Homeland Security. These resources are necessary to ensure that the nation’s approach to immigration enforcement is reasonable, effective and humane.

Ensure Public Safety in Indian Country

The FY 2011 President’s Budget requests $448.8 million in total resources for public safety initiatives for tribal communities. New investments include significant grant resources for addressing a broad range of criminal justice issues and additional FBI agents and forensic support to help tribal communities combat illegal drug use, trafficking and violent crime. There are over 56 million acres of Indian Country and more than 560 federally-recognized Indian tribes. The Major Crimes Act provides federal criminal jurisdiction over certain specified major crimes if the offender is Indian, while tribal courts retain jurisdiction for conduct that might constitute a lesser offense. Thus, federal investigation and prosecution of felonies in Indian Country cannot be deferred to a local jurisdiction and therefore federal law enforcement is both the first and only avenue of protection for the victims of these crimes.

http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/February/10-ag-109.html