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When Republican Rep. Andy Biggs first started talking up the idea of defunding federal law enforcement, it was relatively easy for political observers to shrug it off. The far-right Arizonan isn’t seen as an especially serious policymaker, so his opinions on the matter were deemed largely irrelevant.
When other radical GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, endorsed the same concept, the reaction was similar. When fringe figures espouse outlandish goals, the political mainstream tends not to care.
But the idea of Republicans denying funds to the FBI and the Justice Department took on a greater significance this past weekend, when House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan expressed support for “limiting” funds to federal agencies he believes are engaged in some kind of conspiracy he has struggled to explain.
Yesterday, the story reached an entirely new level when Donald Trump — the Republican Party’s most powerful voice, the former American president, and the apparent front-runner for the GOP’s 2024 nomination — joined with his party’s fringe and said he too wants Congress to “defund the DOJ and FBI.”
It was against this backdrop that Punchbowl News published an interesting report this morning:
There are 18 House Republicans who represent districts President Joe Biden won in 2020. ... We wondered how those 18 members would reply to Trump’s Wednesday morning Truth Social post, where he called on Hill Republicans to “defund the DOJ and FBI until they come to their senses.” The answer — just three would go on the record distancing themselves from Trump’s screed.
The three House Republicans referenced in the piece — New York’s Marc Molinaro, California’s Young Kim and Oregon’s Aaron Britt — each said they don’t support defunding federal law enforcement. The trio didn’t elaborate much beyond that.
The other 15 House Republicans who serve in districts that Biden won wouldn’t even go so far as to express support for funding the FBI.
“Rejecting Trump’s demand to defund law enforcement should be a slam dunk,” Punchbowl News’ report added. “Yet the silence from the majority of the vulnerable Republicans is evidence of the hold Trump still has on the party."
It would be an exaggeration to say no one in GOP politics was willing to denounce the former president’s extremism. Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson — a newly announced presidential candidate — called Trump’s idea “ludicrous.” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina took a break from begging people to send their money to Trump long enough to say he disagrees with him on this point.
But much of the party adopted a familiar posture, kept their heads down, and hoped the story would go away — even as Democrats took steps to claim the political high ground.
“There are no circumstances under which we will defund federal law enforcement,” Sen. Brian Schatz told NBC News. The Hawaii Democrat added, “There will be enough bipartisan votes to ignore this demand. It’s nonsense, it’s bad policy, and it’s worse politics.”
White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson added soon after that President Joe Biden “will fight hard against any congressional Republican attempt to defund the FBI, ATF and local law enforcement officers who keep our communities safe.”