White House slams GOP proposal to slash DOJ budget as ‘defunding the police’

The White House pushed back Tuesday on a bill proposed by House Republicans that cut both the budgets for the Justice Department and FBI by hundreds of millions of dollars by accusing the GOP of defunding law enforcement.

“Republican officials attempted to defund law enforcement to the benefit of violent criminals and fentanyl traffickers, targeting federal agencies that are critical to stopping gun crime, terrorism, and child trafficking,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates said.

The sharp rebuke comes hours after House Republicans unveiled a bill to fund the Commerce and Justice departments and the science agencies for fiscal year 2025.