coming. >> [inaudible] >> nice to see you, sir. >> this hearing will come to order, when i remember to turn on my mic. we will take questions just for everybody's information, we will take questionnaires in order of appearance rather than by seniority today. which i know will make all of you who arrived early very happy. we are delighted to, i am delighted, to call to order the subcommittee on commerce, justice, science and related agencies. welcome the attorney general, merrick garland, who is today's witness for the hearing to review the presidents fiscal year 2023 funding request. it's very good to see you again. i'm sure, as you know, we will have lots of senators coming in and out as the first real hearing day back, after a two week break. there's a lot going on, so, i hope you will be patient. this, year the presidents fiscal year 2023 budget request for the department of justice is 39 billion. that's an 11% increase compared to the fiscal year 2022 enacted for the department. that's budget provides a renewed focus in critically important areas, like protecting civil rights. including a request for increased resources for the civil rights division and the community service, to provide for more attorneys and mediators as well as supporting grant programs that address hate crime prevention. funding increases are also requested four agencies and programs that strengthen national security, including additional resources to investigate domestic terrorism, combat foreign threats and prevent gun violence. it was also good to see the departments request for increased funding for many grant programs. including nearly doubling the budget for the violence against women programs. funding for newer programs, including those in the office juvenile justice and delinquency program, seem to be much needed in order to help youth and families. especially after this pandemic. i hope we receive an allocation that allows us to fund long-standing, as well as new or, programs at as high-level as possible. increased grant funding also means increased support for our police departments. this budget request does include that, particularly for community oriented police services or cops. but i would like to note that the subcommittee has included strong funding for grants over the past several years, and i think that is a commitment of this committee. one area that senator moran and i have worked on is to ensure that burned jeanne funding gets increases regularly. the majority of burn jag funding includes the majority of our states drug task force, which works to keep illegal narcotics, including fentanyl, out of our communities. as we all know, that epidemic of opioid misuse has dramatically increased during the pandemic. we've also work together on a bipartisan basis to increase funding for programs that improve relations and strengthen trust between police and the communities they serve. last, year we provided a total of 200 and $1 million for these programs. this also includes overhauling the cops development program to have dedicated funding for mobile crisis teams, police funding the credit mission and officer training. i'm pleased to see that the department also likes the way that we've restructured this cops program and re-packaged it as the just policing program in your budget this year. now, before i, close i'd like to think that 120,000 career employees of the department of justice, including law enforcement personnel and attorneys. for their work to keep americans safe. i know it's been a challenging year, with our country facing unprecedented threats from those that are newer and rapidly changing. like cybercrime. and those that are sadly familiar like terrorism. your employees are meeting these challenges while continuing to work through a global pandemic, and we all very much appreciate their work. i also want to thank all of those at the department who investigated and prosecuted the isis beetle terrorists, the isis terrorists known as the beatles. including al schaff e i'll shake, who murdered for americans. james foley, kara mueller, stephen web -- the attorney's office for the eastern district of virginia recently resulted in a guilty verdict for him, and i think that not only sends a message to terrorists around the world that those who commit heinous crimes against americans are going to be prosecuted. but it provides some level of closure and justice for the families of those murdered. so, mister attorney general, i look forward to our discussion today. and, with that, i'd like to recognize our subcommittee vice chair, my colleague, senator moran. >> senator shaheen, thank you for converting this meeting. turning to the subject matter of the hearing, i want to express my sincere appreciation of your stewardship of our 2022 process, and thank my members that are members of the subcommittee. the subcommittee held several hearings, including a broadband hearing in january that i believe was one of the best we've had in our tenure. it was a strong, bipartisan bill on the senate, even with complicated dynamics that were outside of our control. and in conference, despite a very tough allocation, a very tough allocation, we finalize a bill that makes research, law, enforcement space exploration, economic development and u.s. competitiveness. it is a bill this subcommittee can be proud of. i'm excited to work with you and my colleagues as we kick off the 2023 incorporation process. tim garland, welcome to this hearing this budget that is being presented supports the doj grant program under the newly-reauthorize violence against women act, which i was proud to cosponsor. for programs that support local police and sheriffs departments. i want to highlight these programs as a critical tool to address the shocking increase in violent crimes including a 30% surge and u.s. murder rate, the largest single year increase and 50. unfortunately violent crime continues to lack the attention it requires. it is absolutely critical the department of justice supports state local law enforcement, both through grant programs and joint force and -- includes an increase for, to fy 22 enacted levels for doj, however rhetoric and behavior from the administration to often send a different signal. if law enforcement officers are not respected or shown respect from our leaders, they will not be respected within the community. we have also seen an appalling increase in attack on police officers. it is no surprise that the departments police officers, police departments and sheriffs officers are sort soft and having issues recruiting new police officers. the budget request would undermine the board of president, excuse me the bureau of prisons ability to maintain suitable and modern facilities there cable of divot delivering educational, vocational and fellowship programming. in addition, it proposes new unauthorized grant programs, intended to inhibit americas exercise of their second amendment right. budget request is ultimately a proposed allocation of scarce resources, it's disappointing that these messaging programs where prioritized over the budgets critical missions in fully addressing the surge in violent crime. the budget request is the first step and the appropriations process i look forward to working with you attorney general and with senator shaheen as we craft the fy 2023 appropriations bill. thank you. >> thank you, senator moran, i realize that the chair of the appropriations committee, senator leahy, is here. i've got to ask if he would like to offer some opening remarks. >> no i just appreciate you, and senator moran holding this. i'm delighted that the attorney general is here. i am delighted that the country has a good attorney general. and that everybody else. >> thank you, senator leahy, i will turn it over to you, attorney general garland. >> is this working? yes. good morning. better? okay. good morning, chairman shaheen, ranking member miranda, distinguished members of the subcommittee. thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. over the past 411 days that i've been attorney general, three coequal priorities have guided the work of the justice department. keeping our country safe, protecting civil rights, and upholding the rule of law. these priorities reflect the justice department's mission and our mission is reflected in the presidents fy 23 budget. i first finding priority is keeping our country safe from all threats, foreign and domestic, whether from hostile nation states, terrace, or common criminals. as our country's chief law enforcement officer, i am committed to supporting members of law and force meant at all levels of government as they work to protect our country. while also safeguarding several liberties and ensuring our own accountability to the american people. to these ends the presidents fy 23 budget request more than 20.2 billion dollars. to support the work of the justice department's law enforcement components and u.s. attorneys offices nationwide. as they carry out their complex mission sets. these resources will strengthen the justice department's efforts to reduce violent crimes and gun violence. to counter the multitude of serious and threats to our country from terrace, cyber criminals, and hostile nation states. to combat the violent drug trafficking, networks that are fueling our nations overdose epidemic and to protect our nations democratic institutions. including the one we sit in today from violent attack. in addition the, president has proposed a total of more than 30 billion dollars a new investment over the next decade. this to support law enforcement by finding the police, prevented crime, and accelerating criminal justice reform. and fy 23 alone the presidents budget requests more than eight billion dollars in grants for states and localities nationwide to find the police. including by putting more police officers on the beat and to implement community based strategies to prevent crime and gun violence. the presidents fy 23 budget also prioritizes the protection of civil rights. we are seeking a 32% increase in funding for the civil rights division, as well as additional resources for our u.s. attorneys, the fbi, the community relations service and our office for x cyst dutch this. our civil rights work remains vital to safeguarding voting rights, prosecuting hate crimes, ensuring constitutional policing, and addressing unlawful discrimination. another area of environmental focus is safeguarding economic security, fairness and opportunity. this is reflected in our request for resources to protect the american people from intellectual property crimes, to reinvigorate and i trust enforcements, and consumer protection. to combat corporate crime and to bring to justice those who seek to profit unlawfully from the covid-19 pandemic. in particular, the department requests a total of 200 and $73 million, an increase of 41.6% for the and i trust division. to carry out its critical mission of promoting competition in the american economy, and protecting workers, consumers and businesses alike. finally, we are requesting 11.7 billion dollars to ensure the just administration of our nation's immigration courts and federal corrections systems. this includes one point 35 billion dollars for the executive office for immigration review which i'll be referring to as your, to reduce the immigration court back law by hiring more than 1200 new staff including approximately 200 immigration judges teams, over the fy 22 elected level. i request for a 0.18 billion dollars for the bureau of prisons will ensure the health, safety, a mile bag of more than 150,000 individuals in federal custody, as well as the officers who protect them. this request would allow b.o.p. to hire 1300 new correctional officers and first step act staff and would be used to support rehabilitate programming and improve conditions of confinement. i respectfully asked for your support for our budget as our justice department works to uphold the rule of law to keep our country safe and to protect civil rights for all. thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today. >> thank you very much. for those people who came in a little later, let me just point out, we will have a five minute questioning period, and people will be called on in order of arrival, rather than seniority, because we are no longer doing any virtual hearing in this committee. i will begin. last month, you announced the establishment of task fourth capture, which was described as an inter agency effort dedicated to enforcing sanctions, exports restrictions, and economic counter measures against russia. as i understand, this includes targeting the crimes committed by russian officials, all the guards, and others who aid or can the i know that the country is watching very closely of what's happening in the war, the unprovoked war of russia against ukraine, and that one huge element in that is being able to reduce the amount of funding for that war that russia has. can you talk a little bit about where you are in terms of the inter agency efforts. the kind of cooperation you're getting internationally? >> yes, i second what you said about what we are all seeing on the news almost every day. the incredibly graphic videos of horrible atrocities that are going on in ukraine. it's not just the war, it's the way in which the war is being prosecuted by the russian government, the pictures of dead bodies, of civilians and the, streets some bound with their hands behind their backs. the intentional bombing of civilian residential apartments, of a theater in mariupol all of those pictures are just terrific. they are the kind of things that anybody going up in the 20th century never expected to see in the 21st again. a land war in europe. so every part of this government is doing its part the justice department's role right now is to investigate and prosecute sanctions violations. so, we have, as you said the kleptocapture task force. its purpose is to go after the assets that the treasury department is sanctioned as well as to go out after assets that have been laundered against the money laundering statutes for criminal behavior. by the russian oligarchs. so, in addition we are participating in the treasury department's report task force. which is the international task force where i have met with virtually. the home secretary's attorney general and treasury secretaries of the participating countries. the international cooperation has been superb. really superb. and heartwarming for law enforcement officers who often have to twist arms and beg for extraditions and other sorts of cooperation abroad. there is no resistance at all now. >> can you talk about how the department is going to be dealing with the proceeds from any recovered assets? >> yes. so, that money would go into the s f for first her fund. first thing we have to do is freeze the, asset second is we have to get a forfeiture and it has to go into the forfeiture fund. we would support legislation that would allow some of that money to go directly to ukraine. that's not the current circumstances, with respect to the fund. but the current circumstance is, like all four fifth forfeited assets, would go into the forfeiture fund. >> thank, you we will take that under advisement in the committee. let me also editorialize a minute, and say that i hope these efforts will allow for future follow-up that will take a look at how corrupt money is being laundered in the west. and produce a real effort to shut that down, not just in russia but wherever it's occurring. one of the issues that you and i discussed on the phone, in advance of this hearing, what is my concern about how long it's taking to get some of the nominees approved for u.s. attorney, four marshals. i understand that there are two problems. one has been the challenge of getting the background checks done on those nominees. i guess, i would be interested in hearing whether there are more resources that need to be put toward that. if we need to take a look at that process and see if there are changes that need to be made. and then, of course, the other challenge is here in the senate with individuals who are holding up those nominees. so, can you speak first to what happens when we have u.s. attorneys in new hampshire, our u.s. attorney nominee, it's been over a year. almost, i think, over a year now that she has been forwarded to the white house and is on hold. can you just speak to the challenge with addressing crime around the country, when we have u.s. attorneys who are taking that long to get approved? >> yes, so, the united states attorneys as well as the united states marshals, the tip of the spear of our effort to fight violent crime. they are the ones who convene the task forces in every one of the 94 u.s. attorney office districts. the task forces are combinations of all of our federal law enforcement, the for law enforcement agencies of the justice department as well as a law enforcement agencies of the department of homeland security and other federal agencies. combined with state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement. the is cooperative task forces also, then, cooperate with the local communities. that is the way in which the best attack on violent crime as possible. to look at what is needed in the local area, to identify the primary drivers. particularly, the repeat shooters. to get them off the streets and get them in jail. to organize those things, we need to confirm the united states attorneys. the work of the acting's is excellent but, as everyone knows, in order to establish policies and programs than any office, it's important to have a permanent head. so, i couldn't urge more strongly for the senate to approve as swiftly as possible. the u.s. attorney nominees and the marshals nominees. >> well, thank you very much. is it fair to say that the holdup, when people are holding these individuals up for other purposes, that that has a negative impact on our ability to fight crime? >> i don't want to get into the inner workings of the senate, but what i will say is that anytime we are not getting confirmed law enforcement officers it does have a negative effect on our ability to fight violent crime. cybercrime, all the responsibilities that the united states attorneys and marshals have. >> well, thank you. i won't quote you with that, i will say it myself. senator moran. >> general garland, thank you. you are where, and we have even talked about it yet this morning, the tremendous increase and levels of violent crime. the murder rate has surged 20% in 2020, it's the largest increase in over 20 years in a single year. but, overall, violent crime, which includes assault, robberies and rapes, increased by 35%. joint operations between federal law enforcement and local and state law enforcement seem to be successful. we've had operation legend and operation triple beam and our state. director wray joined me in kansas earlier this year, we met with our local state law enforcement officials. during that conversation, the chief, carl oak men of the kansas city police department, expressed his desire, first of all, of how successful those joint operations where and his desire to see more of them. of course, that's not unique to the kansas city region of our state. to what extent our joint law enforcement operations a part of the doj's plan to combat violent crime? >> they are the center of our strategy. in may of 2021, after i had been in office just a couple of months, i saw the same statistics that you're referring to now. about the rise in violent crime, the startling rise in 2020. which continued into 2021. and so, i launched our first violent crime strategy for the department. that really includes three pillars, all of which are the ones you're talking about. which is a joint task forces among federal law enforcem