House Judiciary Committee to spend $12 million more than 2022: Report
Jack Birle
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The House Judiciary Committee is reportedly set to spend $19 million this year, a significant increase from the budgets of previous Judiciary Committees.
The spending figure is nearly $12 million more than the committee spent in 2022 and is mostly going to increasing staff along with holding hearings outside of the U.S. Capitol complex, per the New York Times.
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Previous committees have not spent more than $8 million in recent history. In 2022, when the House was under Democratic control, the House Judiciary Committee spent roughly $7.6 million, with just $8,000 coming from travel expenses and roughly $7.4 million coming from staff compensation. The previous year, 2021, saw the committee spend slightly more than in 2022, using more than $7.6 million to fund the committee. More than $7.2 million was spent on staff compensation, while just under $10,000 was spent on travel for the committee.
In 2018, the last time the House Judiciary Committee was under GOP control, the committee spent roughly $7 million, with roughly $76,000 being spent on travel and roughly $6.5 million being spent on staff compensation.
The coronavirus pandemic likely played a massive role in the lack of funds for travel the past two years, as in 2019, the last full year prior to the pandemic, the committee under Democratic control spent $84,587 on travel.
A prior New York Times report said the House Judiciary Committee had requested a staggering $262,000 for travel expenses for the committee as they look to take hearings on the road.
Just over 100 days into the new Congress, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has flexed his power to subpoena and hold special hearings with a lofty budget to back it up.
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On Monday, the committee held a hearing on crime in Manhattan from the Jacob Javits Federal Building in New York City, marking the second time the GOP-led Judiciary Committee has taken the show on the road this Congress. The committee previously held a hearing in Yuma, Arizona, on the security for the southern border in February.
The Monday hearing in Manhattan saw Republicans on the committee point out Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s record on violent crime, while Democrats attempted to change the conversation to gun laws and crime rates in red states.