Federal law enforcement grants may become victims of Congressional budget showdown

To contact us Click HERE
According to the Crime Report, federal criminal justice grants to the states might get cut if Congress can't strike a debt ceiling deal include "Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), Byrne Justice Assistance Grants, Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners, various federal juvenile delinquency prevention initiatives, and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System." Reported Ted Gest,

If sequestration goes into effect next year, which is considered likely, all domestic federal discretionary spending--including for criminal justice purposes--will be cut by 8.2 percent at first. Further reductions are required through fiscal year 2021.

Advocates for federal spending on criminal justice and other domestic issues are trying to convince members of Congress to take a "balanced" approach that does not require continued, large across-the-board cuts in federal aid.

Many argue that while the huge federal deficit makes some spending reductions inevitable, more attention should be given to "entitlements" like Medicare and Social Security payments.

Depending on what's meant by juvenile grants, that could be a big deal. Here's a link to the most recent quarter's worth of federal Byrne grants issued in Texas by the US Justice Department.