Mr. Rogers (00:00):
… our witness, the Honorable Pam Bondi, attorney general of the United States, to testify on the Department of Justice's fiscal year 2026 budget.
(00:14)
To begin, I want to thank the attorney general for speaking at the RX and Illicit Drug Summit this past April down in Nashville, Tennessee. That's, I think, the third or fourth of those summits that you have been there to speak, and we appreciate that especially. That summit gathers the best and the brightest to discuss ways our nation can tackle the opioid and addiction crisis, impacting every corner of our country.
(00:51)
At this year's summit, we received some encouraging news from the CDC that overdose deaths have decreased by nearly 30%. Unfortunately, we still lost over 80,000 loved ones in 2004, oh '24. And recent provisional data from the CDC suggests that the progress that has been made might be coming to an end, and indeed 70% of those deaths were from fentanyl.
(01:29)
Significant more work needs to be done to curb opioid addiction, including focusing on the precursor chemicals being produced in China and the manufacturing labs in Mexico, as well as tracking down the cartels and criminals that shop these drugs to our nation's children. The Department of Justice must keep this at the top of their priority list.
(01:57)
Unfortunately, Madam General, your job at the top will not be easy and the list of issues that the American people are counting on you to address is long and dangerous. From fentanyl and immigration, to violent crime, and supporting local law enforcement, the Department of Justice needs to uphold the rule, law and equal justice while tackling the most dangerous situations confronting Americans.
(02:34)
To make matters even more difficult, this all must be accomplished within a budget that needs to be right-sized for efficiency and effectiveness. The Department of Justice's fiscal year 2026 budget request totals just under $34 billion. This represents a reduction of close to 3 billion from fiscal '25. And specifically the request includes about 11 billion to target violent crime, 10 billion to tackle drug crimes, over 3 billion to defend the nation and our citizens against transnational organized crime, and over 3.5 billion to address immigration. These are the exact issues that head home for many families. And these are the issues that are being discussed between neighbors in all of our states, including mine and Kentucky, and across the nation.
(03:48)
After four years of politicization at the Biden's Department of Justice, these are the issues that the American people expect you to address. They want a Department of Justice that protects American citizens from violent crime, not one that is weaponized against them for speaking their minds. Thus far, we have seen much progress on many of these fronts, including an administration that's taking the nation's borders seriously.
(04:27)
Attorney General Bondi, I stand ready to support you and your efforts to ensure that the American public lives in a society that is free from crime and abuse. I look forward to hearing from you today regarding the fiscal '26 budget, and then we'll go from there.
(04:52)
There are critically important funding decisions ahead of us and I hope we can gain a better sense of your priorities today so that we can make the best decision on behalf of the American public. Let me now recognize the ranking member of this subcommittee, Ms. Meng, for any remarks she cares to make.
Ms. Meng (05:19):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And welcome Attorney General Bondi. Tens of thousands of public servants at the Department of Justice and its bureaus have historically worked very hard and continue to work hard to protect public safety and uphold the rule of law in our country. Yet, I must take this opportunity to express my very strong concerns about this current administration's lack of respect for the rule of law.
(05:45)
Over the past five months, we have seen numerous examples of this administration outright breaking the law. The administration continues to illegally withhold billions of dollars in funding that Congress appropriated, including hundreds of recently terminated justice grants that had been previously been awarded through open and competitive processes. The administration is violating the federal law that mandates that the Office of Management and Budget publish apportionments and show the public how and when federal agencies are spending appropriated funds.
(06:26)
The Justice Department has begun illegally restoring the gun possession rights of convicted felons and domestic abusers. It's allowing the sale of forced reset trigger devices without a background check. These are devices that effectively convert regular firearms into machine guns, which I fear will only make mass shootings in the United States more numerous and deadly.
(06:55)
More than 1,500 individuals involved in the January 6th attack on the Capitol were pardoned or granted commutations of sentences. The president's new appointee as pardon attorney, Ed Martin, previously raised money to help defend some of the most violent of these individuals, people who assaulted police officers. Some of the pardoned January 6th defendants have subsequently been arrested, charged, or sentenced for other crimes. Under this president, the US has accepted a luxury jetliner from Qatar, very likely in violation of the emoluments cause of the constitution. This president has also issued a series of illegal and unconstitutional executive orders, several of which are being challenged in courts right now.
(07:47)
Presidential actions in recent months have also directed highly political and targeted investigations against law firms and individuals, including Miles Taylor, a former staffer for the House Appropriation Committee's Republican majority. Meanwhile, the administration has weakened law enforcement against political corruption by gutting the department's public integrity section, which fairly investigates and prosecutes corruption by government officials. It has dismantled Task Force KleptoCapture, which was started after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, to enforce sanctions and target oligarchs close to the Kremlin. It has also ended the FBI's Foreign Influence Task Force, which was created to defend against foreign influence operations targeting US institutions.
(08:41)
Furthermore, dozens of experienced career federal prosecutors, litigators, and FBI leaders have been fired or forced out since the start of this administration, including James Dennehy, the respected leader of the FBI's New York Field Office. I'm really concerned about what is happening in the Department of Justice, especially based on the department's fiscal year 2026 budget request. The proposed budget weakens the country's efforts to fight crime and keep Americans safe.
(09:14)
The proposal reduces funding for the FBI despite the heroism of Asians like those in Minnesota, who aided in the recent capture of the deranged man accused of killing a state representative and nearly killing another. It slashes funding to fight the trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous illegal drugs by reducing the budget of the DEA, cutting the high-intensity drug trafficking areas program by more than a-third, and by completely eliminating the dedicated funding for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces program.
(09:51)
The administration also proposes a cut of more than 25% to the ATF, which will further weaken the government's ability to fight illegal gun trafficking. This budget proposal also puts further pressure on state and local budgets at a time of great economic uncertainty. The proposal cuts by more than $800 million, funding to grants to local and state law enforcement for fighting and reducing crime, including a cut of more than $37 million to burn Justice Assistance formula grants that help our local law enforcement in every single state. I'm also concerned about the huge cuts to grants aimed at preventing and prosecuting violence against women such as stop grants and sexual assault services grants. The administration also proposes eliminating three valuable programs aimed at fighting and preventing hate crimes at the same time that the FBI is reporting that hate crimes are at historic highs. The administration's budget would completely eliminate the community relations service, which was created by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prevent and resolve conflicts in American communities. These actions and this budget proposal simply don't demonstrate a commitment to the rule of law and equal rights for all Americans.
(11:13)
I look forward to discussing these important issues at today's hearing. Thank you for being here. And thank you Mr. Chairman and I yield back.
Mr. Rogers (11:22):
We have in attendance the ranking member of the full committee, Ms. DeLauro, whom I now recognize.
Ms. DeLauro (11:35):
Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank you and Ranking Member Meng for holding this budget hearing. And I also want to say a thank you to our witness, Attorney General Bondi, for appearing before the subcommittee today. Welcome to the House of Representatives.
(11:52)
A well-functioning, well-funded, well-led department of Justice is critical to the safety and the security of the American people. And the Department of Justice's Employees are dedicated public servants who work diligently and often in dangerous settings to keep criminals off the streets. But unfortunately, the Department of Justice under your leadership has become a tool, a political retaliation, and the front door for criminals seeking to carry favors and pardons.
(12:25)
As I told Director Patel last month, pressure from the White House to investigate the president's opponents or to squash investigations of his allies, threaten the department's credibility and the very foundations and the foundation on which this nation stands, and that is the rule of law.
(12:49)
The attorney general must shield the rule of law from political pressure, not act as an instrument for implementing the president's political hit list. Attorney General Bondi, the Department of Justice is not the president's personal law firm. Loyalty or disloyalty toward the president or even the president's agenda is not a valid measure of the performance of your employees nor of the appropriateness of a particular criminal investigation.
(13:23)
President Trump is more focused on revenge, retaliation, and retribution rather than lowering high price for everyday essentials. And the American people are bearing those costs. The American people expected President Trump to address the high cost of living, but the president is not laser-focused on the cost of living crisis. He is actually making it worse. Instead, he put billionaires like Elon Musk in charge of our government. And they are attacking civil servants who are not loyal to him, but to the constitution and to the rule of law. And they are stealing programs, the funding for the programs that keep America's community safe.
(14:08)
This administration is deliberately undermining agencies that protect the American people. Over four and a half billion dollars in the Department of Justice grant. Those funds, including COPS grants, the Office of Violence Against Women Grants, has been unlawfully frozen, stolen from the communities that are counting on this funding to improve their own law enforcement capabilities. This funding supports reentry initiatives, violence prevention, it helps prevent hate crimes, provide services for crime victims, and supports underserved communities. Stealing this funding makes the American people less safe, more likely to become victims of crime.
(14:55)
Freezing this money is an illegal impoundment. There is no lawful authority to unilaterally impound, or in my words, steals. You can continue to say there is inherent authority. You can say it over and over and over again, but it is not true. And we are going to correct it over and over and over again. And how many times can the courts and the government accountability office tell you so, your department is responsible for upholding the law? You must unfreeze grant money appropriated by the Congress or be in violation of the law.
(15:43)
Moving to the next fiscal year, I'm eager to learn about how the Department of Justice will continue to fulfill its mission with a proposed budget that significantly cuts our nation's law enforcement agencies, key offices, and grant programs. The president's proposed budget would impair and defund the core law enforcement agencies that keep our communities safe. In essence, you are defunding law enforcement. It slashes funding for the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, limiting federal efforts to help our state and our local enforcement combat gun violence, drug trafficking, and organized crime.
(16:31)
The budget also targets DOJ's foundational legal divisions, cutting funding for civil rights enforcement, environmental protection, and even, yes, national security. It takes an axe to grant programs and other programs that support domestic violence survivors and local police departments. It dismantles DOJ's tax division, which will only make it easier for prominent tax cheats to avoid prosecution, further increasing the burden on honest taxpayers who pay what they owe. They pay what they owe. Our largest corporations do not.
(17:08)
And why on earth does your budget slash the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General by 30%? Does this administration want to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse or not? Our government's inspector general are absolutely critical nonpartisan offices that help Congress and the American people eliminate that prevent fraud and corruption. This administration has directly undermined and even removed over a dozen of these offices across our government. Waste, fraud, and abuse are not the targets of President Trump's White House. They are the primary objectives. This budget does not put the safety and security of the American people first. It puts white collar criminals, drug traffickers, and violent offenders first while eviscerating your department's ability to stop them.
(18:04)
The Department of Justice exists to uphold the rule of law. The American people deserve assurance that everyone will be treated equally under the law. Instead, this administration breaks the law with reckless abandon. President Trump, like every other American, must follow the law. Russ Vought must follow the law. Secretaries Noem and Kennedy and McMahon must follow the law. And we must understand why your department is complicit in lawbreaking from the highest office.
(18:37)
I yield back.
Mr. Rogers (18:41):
We want to say congratulations to the attorney general on her selection to this. It's a very important post, but she brings a great record from her home state of Florida in her earlier part of her life. So we're proud of you and we welcome you to the subcommittee. And you're now recognized for an opening statement which will be entered into the record.
Pam Bondi (19:12):
Thank you, Chairman. Good afternoon, Chairman Rogers, Member DeLauro, and Ranking Member Meng, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. I'm honored to appear before you today to present the president's fiscal year 2026 budget for the Department of Justice. I look forward to working with all of you to ensure continued support for the department and our many critical missions.
(19:39)
President Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal totals 34 billion for the Department of Justice. That money will support federal law enforcement as well as our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners. My primary objective as attorney general is to return the department to its core mission of keeping Americans safe and vigorously enforcing the law. This budget will allow us to continue doing just that.
(20:07)
Since January 20th, we have dismantled deadly fentanyl networks across our country. We've prosecuted MS-13 and TDA members using terrorism and RICO charges. We've seized thousands of illegal guns from cartels and extradited key cartel leaders into US prisons. Last month, the FBI arrested 205 child predators in a single operation. And the DEA executed the largest fentanyl bust in the history Across four states. We have also surged FBI resources to investigate thousands of violent crimes, committed against American Indian and Alaskan native people. These are just a few examples of what we've achieved thus far. The budget will allow us to continue doing our crucial work.
(20:57)
We've also led the charge to enforce our immigration laws, rebuild our immigration system after four years of chaos, help secure our nation's borders moreover. We must guarantee that our laws allow us to process, hold, and remove those who enter our country illegally. Our US attorneys continue to effectively work with law enforcement at all levels to investigate and prosecute the increasing volume of immigrated related criminal offenses.
(21:28)
Additionally, the president and I have established and reinvigorated three task forces to enforce the administration's priorities. The Homeland Security Task Force is enhancing federal and state law enforcement cooperation to destroy criminal cartels, foreign gangs, and transnational criminal organizations throughout our country. Joint Task Force Alpha will continue to specifically target the human trafficking and human smuggling networks that took root while our border was wide open. And Joint Task Force Vulcan will continue successful efforts to arrest and prosecute members of TDA and MS-13.
(22:10)
We are also committed to making America safe again by reducing recidivism. The Bureau of Prisons has suffered mismanagement, lack of funding, and low morale. Throughout my confirmation process, BOP came up in every single meeting regardless of the senator's party. The president's budget proposal will address critical staffing shortages, enhance staff retention, and deliver positive changes to a system that has long-needed improvements. The resources made available through President Trump's proposal will also empower the department to continue fighting our war on fentanyl. Since January 2025, the DEA has already seized 41.5 million fentanyl pills and 4,470 kilos of fentanyl powder. It's a historic rate, but it's not enough. We won't rest until this poison is off our streets.
(23:16)
And finally, the 2026 budget continues my commitment to find savings in the department, reduce inefficiencies, and deliver value to the American taxpayer. In fiscal year 2026, the department will merge components that will work in overlapping areas and make our law enforcement and grant-making efforts more effective. We will emerge from this work as a leaner organization, better equipped to keep the American people safe.
(23:50)
Chairman Rogers, Ranking Member DeLauro, Ranking Member Meng, it is my pleasure to highlight our efforts to be good stewards of these resources. I'm working diligently to restore confidence and integrity to the department and each of these components. Thank you for your continued support of the department's financial needs and for the opportunity to present our budget request.
(24:15)
I also would ask all of us now to pray for our troops in Qatar.
Mr. Rogers (24:18):
Amen.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
Amen.
Pam Bondi (24:21):
I look forward to working with you. And I'm now happy to take any questions you might have.
Mr. Rogers (24:27):
We will proceed under the five-minute rule. And I will yield myself the first five minutes.
(24:35)
As you know Madam Attorney General, rural America, many parts of the country, including my district, continue to suffer from the lethal effects of illicit drug use and overdose deaths. How does your '26 budget propose to address drug crimes
Mr. Rogers (25:00):
… Crimes such as trafficking and the influx. What are you doing differently than in the past?
Pam Bondi (25:10):
Chairman, what we are doing, we are focusing all of our law enforcement agencies on getting these drugs off of our streets. Since I was a state AG, I focused on the opioid crisis. I focused with all of our agencies, all of our agencies, working hand-in-hand on the drug crisis. Securing our borders, I believe, was the first step. We will continue to do that. On May 22nd, I believe, Chairman, we announced the operation success of Operation Raptor. The FBI-led DOJ operation that targeted fentanyl trafficking on the dark web. That's become a huge problem. With added technology now, we have seen drug trafficking increased not only across our borders, not only through the mail, but also on the web and that's something, I believe, that we can all work together on. I believe that crosses party lines. That's something that we all need to work together on.
(26:16)
We've seized 144 kilos of fentanyl, 180 firearms, and over $200 million in currency and digital assets, working with nine international partners and arresting 270 drug traffickers across four continents. And that was all because of Operation Raptor. On May 6th, we executed the biggest fentanyl bust in DEA's history. We dismantled a Sinaloa Cartel that trafficked across five states: New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, and Nevada. We seized 412 kilos of fentanyl pills, 11.5 kilos of fentanyl powder and 49 illegal firearms. We arrested 16 accused drug traffickers. These cartels, these gangs, are so organized that they insulate their leaders. The leader of this particular cartel was living in Oregon, yet none of the drugs were with him.
(27:31)
This was incredible police work by all of our agencies, federal agencies, working hand in hand to track them down. I met in conference rooms, we had charts, and I would invite any of you members, on both sides of the aisle, to come in and see these investigations of what we are trying to do to get these drugs off our streets. They are so complex, they are so complicated, and what our law enforcement have been doing is really second to none, and I am so proud. They are some of the bravest in the world and I'm so proud at what they have been doing, working with all of our state and local partners to eradicate these drugs. My point of that, in Oregon, was the leader of this particular Sinaloa gang and, again, he insulated himself, but we were able to catch him thanks to great police work and we will continue to do that.
Mr. Rogers (28:36):
Congratulations.
Pam Bondi (28:37):
Thank you.
Mr. Rogers (28:38):
And thanks for the invitation. I hope we can take you up on that. During his hearing before us, FBI Director Patel indicated a lot of precursor chemicals, that originated in China, are now being now going to terrorist organizations that reroute the precursors into our country through the northern border. What can you say about that?
Pam Bondi (29:08):
Yes, Chairman. That's accurate. I've been fighting this fentanyl epidemic since I was a state AG, when it really first came on the market. Ironically, I was recently in Poland, at a security conference with all of my counterparts around the world, and I'll never forget something they said to me. My counterpart in Poland said, "Fentanyl isn't here yet." Yet. Because they protect their borders. And yes, the northern border is now a great concern to all of us. I would think to everyone on this committee. And yeah, that's a great concern, but we will continue to do that. We are fighting to protect those precursors from coming in. As we know, and what they keep doing, is they're changing the precursors and they continue to change them and they continue to send them through Mexico, through Canada on ships, through our ports of entry into our country.
(30:05)
But that's something we have to all work together on to stop. I went to our DEA lab, I met with our DEA. It looks like almost two grains of salt. I had them put sodium chloride in a little bottle, so I could show people. That's what it takes to kill you. And that's what our kids are taking. They don't realize that it is mixed in… They think they're buying a Xanax, an Adderall, I can't say this enough, an oxycodone pill. They think they are buying something else and this junk is being laced, this poison, into these pills throughout our country. And that's something I feel like we can all work together on to try to stop. But yes, that was, sorry, a very long answer. Yes, it's coming in through our northern border, but we are doing everything we can to secure that. We are with Homeland Security very closely and they're doing an incredible job on that as well, Chairman.
Mr. Rogers (31:03):
Ms. Meng?
Ms. Meng (31:06):
Madam Attorney General, I wanted to ask about a topic that's of great importance to many Americans, and especially my constituents, which is about hate crimes. I'm really troubled that your budget proposes to end the grant programs that may help prevent some of these hate crimes. As you may know, I was the author of one of these programs, the Community-Based Approaches to Advancing Justice Program, which was created in fiscal year 2022. This program supported local groups working to increase hate crimes reporting, give community members resources in languages other than English, and to improve relationships between local law enforcement and the community. It was a direct response to the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans during the COVID-nineteen pandemic.
(31:57)
You may recall in March 2021, six women of Asian descent were tragically murdered in Atlanta, Georgia. My hate crimes act passed through Congress in May of that year with bipartisan support, including from several of my colleagues on the other side of the dais. For years, they've been hearing from constituents about how scared they felt and have been hearing from members of these communities as well as experts who've told me that one of the best ways to combat hate in this country is to fund prevention programs. Not just prosecution, but also prevention.
(32:33)
I have a letter here that hate crime survivors and family members wrote to you in May expressing their strongest concerns about the termination of these grants, signed by people like family members of Emmett Till, James Byrd, Jr., Matthew Shepard, and survivors of the Pittsburgh Synagogue shooting. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the hearing record this letter from the survivors and family members to Attorney General Bondi regarding the termination of hate crimes-related grant programs
Speaker 2 (33:14):
Without objection.
Mr. Rogers (33:15):
Oh, yes. Without objection.
Ms. Meng (33:17):
Thank you, Chairman. Attorney General Bondi, I absolutely share your support for law enforcement and for the prosecution of hate crimes in a just way, but we must combat all forms of hate on all fronts, bringing together law enforcement and community leaders and members of the public. And these grant programs have helped many communities do exactly this. I just wanted to ask and hear from you why there is a proposal to eliminate the three largest sources of DOJ funding for hate crime prevention programs.
Pam Bondi (33:53):
Yeah. And ranking member, can you list those three for me again? And I'm sorry, I have not received your letter yet, but I would welcome working with you on any issue regarding hate crimes in the Asian-American community, in any community. I welcome working with you on that.
Ms. Meng (34:11):
Okay. Yeah, I would love to. And this letter was sent May 15th and we'll make sure that you and your team have received it. The programs, one of them, for example, is named the Community-Based Approaches to Advancing Justice. Three programs have been cut and one of these programs literally help support our law enforcement departments locally, like our NYPD, to train and respond to hate crimes.
Pam Bondi (34:41):
Let me see. We have 5,800 grants, Chairman, that come… Ranking member, excuse me, that come through my office. 365 have been cut so far. That's approximately 6%. What I will tell you is we have turned back on 13 of those so far because people have reached out to me. If you want to reach out and talk to me directly, I'll give you my cell phone. I would love to sit down with you and see if we can work that out. I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with those three directly.
(35:14)
But again, if you have, on either side of the aisle, any grants that you believe should be back on, I would love to meet with you and work with you on that. We're doing that on a case-by-case basis and law enforcement is my top priority, especially hate crimes, violence against women, everything I've done my entire career as a prosecutor, I think we have a former prosecutor in the room too, and I look forward to working with you on this and seeing what we can do to help you.
Ms. Meng (35:45):
Great. We'd love to work together and we will flag all the programs that have been impacted, including those that directly support our local law enforcement, like NYPD. And just to be more specific, the three programs mentioned are Community-Based Approaches, Jabara-Heyer No Hate, Shepard Byrd. Thank you so much.
Pam Bondi (36:06):
Thank you.
Mr. Rogers (36:08):
Mr. Gonzales?
Mr. Gonzales (36:09):
Thank you, Chairman, and thank you, Attorney General, for being here today. When the DOJ submitted their budget, the United States was a nation at peace and now we're a nation at war, so my questions are going to be focused on national security. How many Iranian sleeper cells do we suspect are in the United States?
Pam Bondi (36:27):
Congressman, I can't talk about that in this setting, but what I can tell you is I know Homeland Security, I know the FBI. They are focusing on doing everything we can to keep our nation safe and they will continue to do that. Yeah, it's a frightening time in which we live right now, but President Trump is committed to keeping all Americans safe and we look forward to working with you on that.
Mr. Gonzales (36:57):
Great. Thank you. How many active cases of threats to the homeland does DOJ currently have open as of today?
Pam Bondi (37:05):
Countless. Countless. I can't talk about those in this setting either, obviously, anything pending regarding national security issues, but there is not a day that goes by that we don't discuss the issues that you just brought up with me at the Department of Justice. But I also know that our counterparts at DOD, HSI, the State Department, and all of our agencies are working together to make America safe and, in turn, keep our world safe.
Mr. Gonzales (37:39):
This is very much on my mind. I spent 20 years in the military. I spent five years in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Pam Bondi (37:45):
Thank you.
Mr. Gonzales (37:46):
These aren't… Of course. These aren't dots on a board. And not only American lives abroad, what we saw today, are at risk, but it's also American lives here at home. And I don't want us looking back and going, "what if?" I want us to, as much as we can, get ahead of it, to give you the resources, the instruments that you need to go out and make sure that we're preventing things from happening, not waiting until after the fact. There was a report of over 1500 Iranian nationals that have entered the country illegally over the last several years. Do we know, out of those over 1500, how many of those have been convicted of a crime?
Pam Bondi (38:22):
Yeah, I don't have the number of the conviction, but it's well over 1000 have entered. Yes. I don't know if it's quite up to 1500, but yes, it's well over 1000 have entered our country. And I can tell you we are on high alert and everyone is looking at that very closely.
Mr. Gonzales (38:38):
Some things just don't line up as far as us… I see the world as on fire now more than ever before, right? Once again, when this budget was submitted, we were a nation at peace and now things have changed. I look at this, I see law enforcement and national security has a reduction of 645 million over 1500 positions. The notes I have, "The FBI will implement cost saving measures. The largest decreases will be in criminal cyber response and service branches and national security branches. FBI's criminal investigation, cyber and international operations will reduce resources and support various investigations and partnerships. Additionally, the counterintelligence, counterterrorism, threat screening and weapons of mass destruction programs, experience reductions."
(39:27)
I mention those things because, in my eyes, those are the programs that we need more resources to, more manpower to, and not everything's about money. You alluded to this. A lot of times it's about being more efficient with the things that you're doing. I'd love to hear your thoughts on some of the way we're looking to get ahead of any problem sets.
Pam Bondi (39:46):
Thank you. And we can do more with less, of course. You can always do more with more, but we're doing more with less. We're prioritizing, we're refocusing, and the budget request supports 7.5 billion for national security. Also, that's why it's very important, I believe, for all of you to support Big Beautiful Bill. The One Big Beautiful Bill gives us a lot of additional funding at the Department of Justice to carry out our mission. The Senate version gives us 11.82 billion. Currently, the House version gives us $3.3 billion. Hopefully, they will come to a compromise in there, but that's where it will truly help Department of Justice combat all of the issues that you brought up and many others. And thank you for your service to our country, especially now. I didn't realize that you had served in Iraq. Thank you.
Mr. Gonzales (40:43):
Yeah. No, of course. And thank you for saying that. Resources matter and, the Big Beautiful Bill, we look forward to getting that to the President's desk as soon as possible. Once again, to give you the resources and the tools you need to get ahead of these problems that we see so clearly coming through. I represent nearly half of the southern border. The border is on my mind quite a bit. One of the questions I have, I focus a lot on convicted criminal illegal aliens. Do we know how many illegal aliens have been convicted of a crime in the United States?
Pam Bondi (41:14):
Yeah, I can get you those specific numbers. I don't know. But many, I can tell you. Our prosecutors are indicting and charging illegal aliens constantly. Violent crimes, rapes, thefts, many crimes throughout this country. And yes, our borders were wide open. And, Congressman, back in September, I went to our border at Yuma, Arizona, not in Texas, but in Yuma, at our border. What I saw firsthand, we saw IDs just dropped from every country you can imagine. El Salvador, Venezuela, China. Every country you can imagine.
(42:01)
And, of course, I didn't see Iranian driver's licenses, but they are coming into our country. Yes, we know that's documented. But just walking into our country. And that's why Homeland Security, that's why ICE, that's why the FBI, that's why all of our agencies, the DEA, ATF, are all working hand in hand to combat that and to keep Americans safe. And that is what President Trump is committed to doing.
Mr. Gonzales (42:26):
Thank you.
Pam Bondi (42:27):
Thank you.
Mr. Gonzales (42:27):
Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Rogers (42:29):
Ms. DeLauro.
Ms. DeLauro (42:33):
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Just a quick note before I get to my questions. Fentanyl seizures are down 30% compared to last year and that data is coming from the Customs and Border Patrol, CBP. I don't make it up. But fentanyl seizures are down at your confirmation hearing, you asserted that you will do everything in your power to prevent illegal gun runners in our country. Your budget request for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco Firearms and Explosives, ATF, proposes a cut of 26% below the current level. How can you justify such a massive cut without inevitably weakening ATF's ability to help our state and local law enforcement fight illegal gun trafficking? How many ATF law enforcement officers and industry operations investigators do you anticipate will be lost to attrition as a result of this funding reduction you're proposing?
Pam Bondi (43:32):
I'm a career prosecutor and I believe in keeping America safe, making America safe. First, what we're doing is ATF is going to be brought over with DEA. Everyone knows, everyone sitting up here, guns and drugs go together. They go together. We're going to make it more efficient. What I will tell you will not be happening is ATF agents will not be knocking on the doors of legal gun owners in the middle of the night asking them about their guns. They're going to be out on the streets. If I can finish, they're going to be out on the streets.
Ms. DeLauro (44:08):
I have three minutes.
Pam Bondi (44:09):
No, you asked me a question.
Ms. DeLauro (44:10):
I did. And you-
Pam Bondi (44:11):
You asked me a question and-
Ms. DeLauro (44:12):
And you haven't answered my question.
Pam Bondi (44:13):
… I'm going to answer it. They're going to be out on the streets, working hand-in-hand with the DEA-
Ms. DeLauro (44:15):
You haven't answered my question. You haven't answered-
Pam Bondi (44:18):
… to violate-
Ms. DeLauro (44:19):
Mr. Chairman, I'd like an answer to my question and the question is not being answered. How many ATF law enforcement officers and industry operations investigators do you anticipate will be lost to attrition as a result of the funding reduction you are proposing? You are proposing a 26% cut to ATF for fiscal year 2026, as well as a 4.4% cut to DEA. You're going to merge the two agencies together and then you're going to shortchange their resources, so neither one of them will be able to do the job that they have been designed to do. You've got a 34% cut to the high intensity drug trafficking areas program, no dedicated money at all for the organized crime drug enforcement task force. My view, it's fair to say that the Trump administration proposal shortchanges federal efforts to stop illegal gun trafficking and federal efforts to stop the flow of dangerous illegal drugs like fentanyl.
Pam Bondi (45:19):
As I was attempting to answer your question, very calmly, unlike you-
Ms. DeLauro (45:26):
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Pam Bondi (45:27):
What I was saying-
Ms. DeLauro (45:29):
Madam Attorney General. Answer yes or no. Tell me what the numbers are. I don't want to hear all of your filibuster about this. Go ahead. Please. Tell us the numbers.
Pam Bondi (45:38):
We are reorganizing. ATF agents want to be out on the street working with-
Ms. DeLauro (45:44):
Let me answer the question for you. I'm going to answer it for you. Page…
Mr. Rogers (45:48):
Let the witness answer the question.
Ms. DeLauro (45:50):
Mr. Chairman, you give me a certain amount of time, and I have a high respect for you, but I don't have to listen, nor do my colleagues have to listen to a filibuster when it's a simple question. But I have an answer to your question. It's page 146 of the department's fiscal year 2026 budget. And the performance summary explicitly says, and let me quote, "ATF will eliminate 541 industry operation investigators reducing ATF's capacity to regulate the firearms and explosive industries by approximately 40% in fiscal year 2026. ATF will perform fewer regulatory inspections."
(46:36)
And the department's summary goes on to say, and let me quote, "ATF anticipates a reduction of approximately 284 support personnel and 186 agents based on historical attrition patterns and these personnel cuts will impact ATF across various functions." Unquote. If the capacity to regulate firearms industry is reduced by 40%, if you are losing 186 ATF law enforcement agents on top of that, it is clear the direction you are headed with this budget. That's what it is, isn't it? The proposal will weaken our ability to stop gun trafficking and it will greatly reduce ATF support for state and local law enforcement that helps them prevent and solve violent crimes. It's a bad proposal.
Pam Bondi (47:27):
Do you want to hear my answer in three seconds? You mentioned regulatory functions. We will not be having ATF agents go to the doors of gun owners in the middle of the night asking them about their guns. Period. They will be out on the streets with DEA, guns and drugs-
Ms. DeLauro (47:44):
How many gone?
Pam Bondi (47:47):
… go together. It will be attrition. We are not firing agents. They will be working with the DEA-
Ms. DeLauro (47:51):
How many have taken attrition?
Pam Bondi (47:53):
Can I tell you that they all want to be on the streets? They want to be doing their jobs. They want to be seizing guns-
Ms. DeLauro (47:59):
But you're getting them off the streets.
Pam Bondi (48:00):
They want-
Ms. DeLauro (48:01):
You're getting them off the streets.
Pam Bondi (48:03):
We're putting them on the streets. They want to be working with DEA.
Ms. DeLauro (48:05):
You are getting them off the streets-
Pam Bondi (48:07):
We will be efficient.
Ms. DeLauro (48:08):
… there is no… And Mr. Chairman-
Pam Bondi (48:08):
We will be efficient.
Ms. DeLauro (48:08):
… I yield back my time.
Mr. Rogers (48:09):
[inaudible 00:48:11].
Ms. DeLauro (48:11):
I yield back my time. Let's get some answers here.
Mr. Rogers (48:14):
Mr. Clyde.
Mr. Clyde (48:19):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Attorney General Bondi, for being here today. You are, in my mind, a breath of fresh air to our Department of Justice.
Pam Bondi (48:29):
Thank you.
Mr. Clyde (48:31):
Thank you. Thank you for your dedication to the Constitution and for equal justice under the law. I am sorely impressed with your experience and how you have handled the Department of Justice so far. As we all know, under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Justice, FBI, and ATF were dangerously weaponized to target President Trump and everyday Americans. Tactics more fitting of an authoritarian regime than a constitutional republic.
(48:57)
From politically persecuting President Trump, then President Biden's chief political rival, to going after pro-life advocates, like Mark Houck, the actions of the Attorney General Garland, Director Wray, and the DOJ leadership were unacceptable and unconstitutional in my opinion. That's why I was very encouraged to see the president's FY26 budget commit to ending the weaponization within the Department of Justice in the FBI. And so, can you elaborate for me how has the Trump administration's DOJ shifted away from politically motivated investigations and refocused on its core mission: prosecuting the most dangerous criminals? And you mentioned that a little bit in your opening remarks, so if you can focus on the moving away part, I'd appreciate it.
Pam Bondi (49:41):
Yeah. Thank you, Congressman Clyde, and thank you for that. And also, our budget includes $1.2 billion and 2,444 agents for ATF. And those agents will be on the street with DEA. And thank you for letting me answer that
Pam Bondi (50:00):
… that question.
Mr. Clyde (50:00):
Yes ma'am.
Pam Bondi (50:01):
And we are prioritizing resources addressing illegal firearms and traffickers, and we will reduce unnecessary regulatory efforts, including what I just said about the weaponization. That's how ATF, I believe, was weaponized in the prior administration. Also, they were arresting peaceful protesters, the Biden administration, at abortion facilities. No longer. They targeted Catholics at church services. No longer. No longer will parents be arrested at school board meetings because they care about their children. That has ended under this department.
(50:44)
That's why Donald Trump won the popular vote and the electoral college by overwhelming margins. He made that crystal clear, and that's what's happening now in our country. That weaponization has ended, these ATF agents will be on the street fighting drugs. I have been a career prosecutor. ATF has taken thousands of guns off the street since January 20th, working hand in hand with DEA. Drugs and guns go together. Core function, no more targeting and weaponizing our citizens by any of the agencies.
Mr. Clyde (51:24):
Thank you. Thank you for that commitment.
Pam Bondi (51:25):
Thank you.
Mr. Clyde (51:26):
I was delighted to see that the Department of Justice's fiscal year '26 budget also included a dedicated fund for a firearm rights restoration initiative. Can you describe this initiative a little bit and any other steps that your department is taking to restore the Second Amendment rights to Americans who are unlawfully or unjustly stripped of them by prior administrations? Can you talk about that a little bit please?
Pam Bondi (51:49):
Yes, congressman, and that is, the pardon power of course falls with the president and he has been doing many pardons on that topic and he will continue to do that, I am certain. Also, one other thing about ATF is our seizure of firearms is up 33% from this time last year.
Mr. Clyde (52:09):
Thank You.
Pam Bondi (52:10):
Wanted to add that. Thank you.
Mr. Clyde (52:11):
Thank you. I was going to ask you about the merger of DEA and the ATF, if you'd elaborate on that, you've talked a little bit about it already. One thing that I think is very important is that the ATF and federal farms licensees work together, because truly, FFLs are the front line when it comes to illegal purchases and just the information that is out there, and we can help each other as long as we have a good relationship with each other. And during the last administration, it was a terrifying relationship. I mean, you had the zero tolerance against federal farms licenses. I'm sorry, we're all human. Everybody makes mistakes, okay? And they're not intentional, they're just mistakes. And when you can lose your livelihood and you can lose your business and your employees can lose their jobs over simple mistakes, that's a real problem, especially when if you think about federal firearms licensees, they're the pathway to the Second Amendment of the constitution.
(53:14)
They enable individual participation in the protection of liberty. I mean, that's what federal firearms licensees do. So I think it's really important to have that critical relationship between ATF and the federal firearms licensees. And when the ATF went from the Treasury to the Department of Justice and the inspection side of it, when the IOIs, when they were industry operations inspectors, when they became industry operations investigators, you investigate crime, you really inspect records. That was concerning to me. So my thought was maybe we could move the IOIs to the Department of Commerce, but just would get your thought on that.
Pam Bondi (54:00):
Yeah, and Congressman, that's the first time I've heard about that. I would love to meet with you and learn more about that.
Mr. Clyde (54:05):
I look forward to it.
Pam Bondi (54:06):
But thank you for asking about the ATF-DEA merger. In the world in which we live, bureaucracy has been around for a very long time, and just because things have been done one way for decades and decades doesn't mean that is the most efficient way to do them in the future. And I'm a career prosecutor, I care about ATF, I went to ATF's memorial service. We are doing everything we can to put those ATF agents on the street where they want to be. Anyone in modern day history know the years of prohibition are over. ATF, they want to be on the street, they want to be working hand in hand with DEA. That's what they do. No redundancy, no repeat of investigations. They are going to be working together, and that's what this reorganization does. And they're all going to be, it's going to be a great marriage between those two agencies. They're working hand in hand on task forces already. Now they will be working under one umbrella, and it's going to be great for our country.
Mr. Clyde (55:12):
Thank you very much.
Pam Bondi (55:13):
Thank you.
Mr. Clyde (55:13):
I yield back.
Mr Rogers (55:14):
It's expired. Mr. Ivey.
Mr Ivey (55:17):
Thank you Mr. Chairman. I wanted to follow up on what Congressman Gonzales raised with you with respect to the new environment that we're in now with the, essentially a war with Iran. A few weeks ago, your FBI director sat in the same chair and said that he thought in the budget that's been proposed, they're about $11.2 billion short. He wanted an additional 1100 positions that were lost to attrition in 1300 he wanted to have filled. That's before the scenario with Iran. Now, I know you submitted the budget already and you want to stick with it, but please take another look. This is a new environment, I think the points that the congressman raised are very valid with respect to the issue of sleeper cells and threats domestically here. Taking FBI agents off the street now is a bad, there isn't a worst possible time you could do it. So please reconsider that and move in a different direction on that because we need more of them on the street, not fewer.
(56:25)
Ms. DeLauro was raising issues with respect to your budget, the IOI cuts and the 86 agents that are going to be cut too. And the concern I have on that front, I know you're saying they want to be on the street, but there are ATF agents that do things that aren't on the street. So for example, the NIBN work where they match the cartridges to the guns is critical, and I'm very concerned that some of the cuts you're going to make are going to impact that. And the NIBN piece are critical for state and local law enforcement, like you used to be, because a lot of them don't have the resources to track it down and the information that they can get, they can turn it around in 48 hours.
(57:07)
So the man who attempted to assassinate now President Trump, the connection that was made was through this apparatus, this approach. The same thing with the Minnesota assassin. So that's an area where we can't afford to have those kinds of cuts, I don't think, at this time. And the performance of fewer regulatory inspections, I had gun dealers in my district who needed those inspections to take place, and important findings have been made certainly with respect to tracking crime guns and cracking down on gun dealers who are working illicitly. I'm not saying they all do, I mean, many of them operate in the right way, but the only way to track it down is through inspections that have to be aggressive. And by the way, even under the current regime or the previous regime, I think some of them didn't get inspections for maybe every 10 years or so, so it wasn't like it's a constant harassment piece.
(58:06)
But I've got some folks here in the corner of the hearing room who are from my district, Moms Demand Action, DMV Mothers Like Me, Women's Missionary Society. I met with them a few weeks ago and the concern was the issue of gun violence on our streets and the desire to make sure that the federal presence continues to push hard to make sure we close those cases. You're reducing resources, you're reducing the number of agents, as Mr. Patel said. That's moving in the opposite direction. What response would you give to them with respect to the steps that you're taking to make sure not only that we stay safe, but we get even safer and do even more to get violent offenders off the street and get the guns off the street before the violent offenders get them?
Pam Bondi (58:54):
So first, Congressman Ivey, you're a former prosecutor and I'm smiling because I could see that in some of your questions. Thank you for those questions, I'm going to try to answer them all in order of how you ask them. You ask about the FBI, our budget. Director Patel clarified that in front of the Senate, I think, and our budget includes $10.1 billion, 12,926 agents for the FBI-
Mr Ivey (59:20):
I think clarification would be gentle. It was a complete flip-flop on what he said when he was here.
Pam Bondi (59:25):
So they prioritized-
Mr Ivey (59:25):
And he was asked three times by Ms. DeLauro just to make sure that he was right about what he had said when he was testifying.
Pam Bondi (59:32):
They prioritize realignment of personnel to the field to carry out national security, which you just talked about, intelligence, criminal law enforcement and criminal justice missions.
Mr Ivey (59:44):
Can I do this?
Pam Bondi (59:44):
Can I just keep, I only have 34 seconds to answer you-
Mr Ivey (59:48):
I've three quick questions for you and I'd love to get-
Pam Bondi (59:49):
You're asking three questions and you haven't let me answer one.
Mr Ivey (59:52):
I'd love to get your answers your writing. Quick questions.
Pam Bondi (59:53):
NIBN.
Mr Ivey (59:56):
When you were the Attorney General in Florida.
Pam Bondi (59:58):
Chairman, can I answer the question?
Mr Ivey (01:00:00):
You offered after the Parkland shooting-
Mr Rogers (01:00:02):
The gentlemen will suspend.
Mr Ivey (01:00:04):
I believe this is my time, under the rules, and I had-
Mr Rogers (01:00:08):
I'll ask the gentleman to suspend momentarily.
Speaker 3 (01:00:11):
Stop the clock. Stop the clock.
Mr Ivey (01:00:12):
Can we stop the clock?
Speaker 3 (01:00:13):
Put the time back. Stop the clock in a different.
Mr Rogers (01:00:16):
Let's be respectful of each other.
Mr Ivey (01:00:19):
Mr. Chairman, Mr. Chairman, what I just said was if you could submit your answers in writing, that would be great. I don't think I've made any kind of statement that's been accusatory with respect to her or her professional reputation. There's been no attack on her. These were just questions that were asked. I'm seeking the answers in writing, which would be great. But I have a couple others that I'd like to ask too, and we'll do them on-
Mr Rogers (01:00:46):
The gentleman has expired.
Mr Ivey (01:00:48):
No it hasn't. You cut me off when there were 30 seconds.
Speaker 3 (01:00:52):
All the few seconds.
Mr Ivey (01:00:53):
Yeah, so.
Speaker 3 (01:00:55):
Two extra minutes.
Mr Ivey (01:00:58):
Well, that's true too. A couple of you all went over a minute and a half.
Speaker 3 (01:01:02):
Over almost two minutes.
Mr Ivey (01:01:05):
I just would like my 30 seconds back. And then, if she can submit answers in writing, that'll be fine. But I want to get these questions in while she's here.
Speaker 3 (01:01:20):
Go ahead.
Mr Ivey (01:01:20):
I want to ask the questions and she can submit the answers. This is my five minutes, I get to do it the way I want to do it. Under the committee rules and under the house rules, these are my five minutes. And as I said, I have not been disrespectful to this witness. I have not.
Speaker 3 (01:01:34):
Can you excuse at this time to ask this question and she can say the answer.
Mr Rogers (01:01:36):
I feel like he did.
Mr Ivey (01:01:42):
Feel like I did. Okay. When you were the Attorney General in Florida after the Parkland shooting, my understanding is that you moved to ban gun to people under 21. Is that a position that you would take now as the Attorney General? I have a bill, HR-2368, which does something like that. I would be interested in if you'd be willing to co-sponsor or support that bill. You also moved to enact red flag laws, allowing a judge temporarily to confiscate weapons when he or she viewed that the person was at risk of hurting himself or someone else. Is that a position you would continue to support now? And the last one is ghost guns. Ghost guns, I don't think you took a position on it back when you were the AG in Florida, but we've had two bills come through here in the Congress, all democratic co-sponsors. I think there's no argument that ghost guns have any appropriate use on the street, they only help criminals avoid prosecution. Would you support a legislative ban on ghost guns? And with that, I yield back.
Mr Rogers (01:02:55):
Gentleman yields back. Mr. Strong.
Mr Strong (01:02:57):
Thank you Chairman Rogers, ranking member Ming, for having this hearing today. I'd also like to thank the subcommittee staff for their hard work. Attorney General Bondi, thank you for being here today. I commend you for your efforts to prioritize President Trump's America First agenda and commitment to making America safe again. As you know, I represent Alabama's fifth Congressional District, which includes Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal. I'm especially supportive of the FBI Director Patel's plan for the continued movement of FBI personnel to North Alabama. My district has repeatedly answered the call to support our law enforcement agencies with a second to none workforce, cutting-edge facilities, and room for growth. Attorney General Bondi, do you support the FBI's plan to move additional personnel and programs to Redstone Arsenal and out of the beltway?
Pam Bondi (01:03:46):
Oh my God. Thank you Congressman for your question. And yes, we are moving 500 additional personnel from DC to Alabama, to Redstone. Redstone is a state-of-the-art facility, it will enhance everything we do, training for FBI, training for other employees, and Huntsville provides the most cost-effective location with a distinct partnership opportunities, and we support all of that that's happening and I look forward to visiting at one day. Could I have a couple minutes to answer a couple of-
Mr Strong (01:04:24):
Please do, I yield. 0
Pam Bondi (01:04:24):
… your fellow congressman's questions. Thank you. He asked me about NIBN, and yet he didn't want to hear my answer. NIBN means National Integrated Ballistics Enforcement Network. I'm very aware of that. We are not cutting that, ATF is receiving $66 million, it's an important program. And I know he would not intentionally attempt to mislead anyone by saying that I'm trying to cut that, but that's not being cut. I'm a career prosecutor. I've used that, I'm sure he's used it as a prosecutor. It's an important program that provides critical support to 7,200 state and local partners we work with, it's a key element to combat violent crime and firearms. So I'm a huge supporter of NIBN and we will continue to do that.
(01:05:18)
You asked me to talk to moms. I will always speak to moms in my office, in any environment. Yes, and I lived the Parkland shooting. I still talk to and meet with all of those families, both Democrat and Republican alike. I will continue to do that as a career prosecutor. Speaking of moms, I'm sure you met with Patty Moran. She is the mom of a murdered woman in your district. I'm sure you met with her. I'm sure he met with Tammy Nobles. Kayla Hamilton, that was her daughter who got murdered. So yes, I'm willing to meet with any mom from any side of the aisle. And thank you Congressman for letting me discuss that.
Mr Strong (01:06:07):
Absolutely.
Mr Ivey (01:06:08):
Will the gentleman yield?
Mr Strong (01:06:10):
I want to move my questions. In my district we have the FBI, the ATF, DHS working together to address bombing instance and use of explosives. The FBI's Hazardous Device School and Terrorist Explosive Device Analytics Center, affectionately known as TDAC, the ATF's National Center for Explosives Training and Research in the US Bomb Data Center are all located at Redstone Arsenal. As mentioned, ATF's National Center for Explosives and Training Research is a world-class facility located at Redstone. The center provides remarkable training facilities and specializes in life-saving explosives and arsons training. Can you discuss how merging the ATF with the DEA will streamline their activities while ensuring their critical and unique capabilities are maintained?
Pam Bondi (01:06:57):
Yes, absolutely. And yes, the National Center for Explosives Training and Research at Redstone, it's pretty remarkable what they do. They oversee the canine operations, I believe, as well as the criminal profiling, the explosives, the arson investigations. And I look forward to working with you, I look forward to visiting that. I really want to go to that facility. There are no cuts planned for that. And that's where ATF and DEA, again, can partner together. The drugs and the guns go together. Those agents will be working hand in hand, the bureaucracy at the top will be gone, there will be no redundancy. They will be working hand in hand at that facility and many others throughout our country. Thank you.
Mr Strong (01:07:43):
Ms. Attorney General, I just want to thank you on how you represent yourself and you represent this country. It's a hard task what you have to do, you represent Democrats, Republicans, but what you have done in these first five months have reestablished the American people's belief in what the DOJ has to do for the American people. Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr Rogers (01:08:02):
Gentleman yields back. Mr Morelle.
Mr Morelle (01:08:05):
Thank you Mr. Chairman and Ranking member Ming for holding this important hearing, and thank you Attorney General Bondi for appearing before us today. Madam Attorney General, I serve in addition to the Appropriations Committee as a ranking member of the Committee on House Administration. I sent you a letter last week along with my Republican counterpart, Chairman Brian Steil, requesting an increase in federal prosecutorial resources to address threats against members of Congress, particularly in light of what happened last week in Minnesota, that tragedy. In 2024, the US Capitol police identified and received nearly 9,500 concerning statements or threats against members. Federal prosecutors have only secured eight convictions so far, and the heightened threat environment demands an all-hands-on-deck approach. Will you commit to assigning an assistant US attorney or a special assistant US attorney to each of the 94 federal districts to at least on a part-time basis investigate and prosecute threats against members of Congress?
Pam Bondi (01:09:07):
So thank you for bringing that up, and I take that very seriously. Not only what happened in Minnesota was horrible, I've spoken to Keith Ellison, I've spoken to Amy Klobuchar about that. It's horrible. We are involved in that, the FBI was involved, our US attorneys are involved. Many of these are district-to-district so the way we're doing that is, I will tell you, my national security division is involved in all of those and assisting in those, we meet every single morning and we discuss that. But many of those, Minnesota, will be handled in the state in which it happened. Another one is…
Mr Morelle (01:09:46):
So may-
Pam Bondi (01:09:47):
I'm sorry, if I can keep going. I'm sorry. I don't mean to filibuster. Governor Shapiro, and what happened in Pennsylvania with Governor Shapiro. I've spoken to Governor Shapiro. We are working hand-in-hand, our US attorney, with the district attorney there, hand-in-hand, just like in Minnesota. I made sure our US attorney and our district attorneys there were working hand-in-hand. Political party doesn't matter when something like this happens, and I also want to make sure all members of Congress are safe as well.
Mr Morelle (01:10:18):
Okay. And I would reiterate, I think Chairman Steil and I agree that at least a part-time in each of the 94 districts would be appropriate. Let me change topics for just a moment. I'm sorry.
Pam Bondi (01:10:31):
Really quick on that. Yes, we're doing that through our national security division, so I think that's already in the works. And I would be glad to meet with you in a secure facility to talk about that.
Mr Morelle (01:10:40):
Very good, thank you. Continuing, in addition to my role here, the committee that I serve on as an authorizer oversees capital security as well as federal elections, so I'm closely following the aftermath of January 6th. Recently, several defendants who received presidential pardons related to that day are now arguing in court that the pardon covers crimes like, for instance, illegal firearm possession discovered in a search of an individual's home in California months after January 6th. What's your position on whether the pardons cover these separate offenses?
Pam Bondi (01:11:14):
The pardon power rests with the president, not the Department of Justice, and some of that is pending litigation, and I cannot discuss pending litigation.
Mr Morelle (01:11:21):
Well, I'm not asking you about who has the right to a pardon. I think as the Department of Justice in February wrote, the pardon is an act of grace which removes the punishment from a crime a person has committed. It further said, in its effect, the granting of a pardon is in no sense the overturning of a judgment of conviction. It is an executive action that mitigates or sets aside punishment. So as the chief law enforcement officer, what's your opinion, not the president's power of whether we can offer a pardon? That's pretty clear in the constitution. But for crimes committed unrelated to January 6th, would you suggest that the pardons would cover activities or crimes potentially committed outside of that by the same person?
Pam Bondi (01:12:06):
Well, I don't know if you're referring to Joe Biden pardoning his son after he said he would not pardon Hunter Biden or the commutation of all-
Mr Morelle (01:12:12):
No, I'm actually referring to January 6th. I'm sorry.
Pam Bondi (01:12:14):
… all the sentences that the people that were on death row, I've met with those families. All of those sentences were commuted. I'm not going to comment on pardons on either side of the aisle.
Mr Morelle (01:12:27):
Well, I am not asking about either side. I'm asking, you are the chief law enforcement officer in the United States, you have a responsibility directly, you swore no to the Constitution, not the president. I want to know what your views are on the extent to which pardons cover potential crimes committed by individuals who have been pardoned but unrelated to January 6th.
Pam Bondi (01:12:47):
Do you mean the ones that were done by the auto pin? I'm not going to discuss anything that could be or not be pending litigation.
Mr Morelle (01:12:53):
Mr Chairman, respectfully. Ms. DeLauro accused you of filibustering, I think that's the height of filibustering. This is a serious, serious topic, and for you to suggest that you don't have an opinion or to divert to other things that had nothing to do with January 6th pardons I think is frankly demeaning to your responsibilities and your job. With that, I'll yield back.
Mr Rogers (01:13:19):
Mr. Cline.
Mr Cline (01:13:21):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Attorney General, thank you for being here today. When I'm home in my district talking to my constituents, they're concerned about their safety, they're concerned about the safety of their communities, safety of their neighborhoods. And as we have spoken many times, under your leadership, the DOJ has taken decisive steps to restore the rule of law, to tackle violent crime, and to hold both foreign and domestic bad actors accountable. I read your opening statement and I just wanted to give you an opportunity to go back again and talk about in light of four years of open borders, the drugs that are coming in, the sex trafficking, the human trafficking, the gangs that have moved in, the terrorism that has infiltrated the United States, the sleeper cells that may or may not be present in this country, the political prosecutions that we saw over the four years of the Biden administration, the fact that we are restoring integrity to the office and the rule of law. Can you restate for my constituents how the actions of the Department of Justice and your agencies are keeping them safe?
Pam Bondi (01:14:26):
Thank you, Congressman. And we have also been working hand-in- hand on a task force with your governor, with Governor Yonkin. And we started a task force with Governor Yonkin, and that's something that we would like to take to every single state, both Democrat and Republican. And that's how we've been able to fight these gangs, these transnational cartels, these organizations, these criminal organizations, and it was really remarkable. One of the top members of TDA
Pam Bondi (01:15:00):
… was living 20 minutes from where we're sitting right now in Virginia and working hand-in-hand, regardless of political party, with state and local law enforcement officers throughout the state of Virginia. We were able to dismantle a major, major gang, and there are so many gang members. And he was another one who was living there. I think when he was arrested, he had multiple… and ATF was involved in that. Multiple guns when he was arrested, but he did not have any of the drugs on him. He had insulated himself because he was one of the leaders of the criminal organization. And so these task force working together with the state of Virginia have been remarkable. So that's one way to break it down, what we've done. And we're just so proud of the partnership that we've had with your state, dismantling the gangs, the guns, the drugs-
Mr Cline (01:15:58):
And when you-
Pam Bondi (01:15:58):
… and we'll continue to do that.
Mr Cline (01:15:59):
And when you have that partnership, you can get a lot done. You can-
Pam Bondi (01:16:02):
You can get so much done.
Mr Cline (01:16:04):
… secure a safer community for the people living there. When you have sanctuary states like California, who are preventing you from actually getting in there and actually getting the gangs off the streets, getting the drugs and the human trafficking off the streets, that hurts the people of those states. When the streets of Los Angeles descended into scenes more fitting of a failed state than a major American city, mobs setting fire to police cruisers and looting entire city blocks, videos online showing American flags being burned and the flags of Four Nations being flown, some carried by rioters proudly waving them through smoke-filled streets, the Department of Homeland Security has revealed new data saying that ICE law enforcement is now facing a 500% increase in assaults, while carrying out enforcement operations. Can you describe what actions you've taken to hold these sanctuary jurisdictions accountable? And I have a couple of questions after that.
Pam Bondi (01:17:03):
Yeah. Thank you. To California specifically, and we have made it very clear, if you spit… I believe it was an ICE officer, someone spit on him. We charged them federally. We will charge you if you spit on a law enforcement officer. If you loot, under the Hobbs Act, that is a robbery, and we will charge you with robbery. We are going after the maximum penalty, federally, for anyone who touches a federal agent. And we are also going to protect our state and local law enforcement agencies and officers. The men and women every day around this country, whether it's a blue or red or purple state, are out there fighting crime. That's what they care about. They care about keeping every single one of us safe. That's what they're doing. They care about preventing drug abuse, drug overdoses throughout this country. And they jeopardize their lives every single day to keep us safe. And we are going to do everything in our power to fight for them.
Mr Cline (01:18:06):
Do you think that these sanctuary jurisdictions, these cities or states should be receiving law enforcement grants if they refuse to uphold the law?
Pam Bondi (01:18:13):
That's pending litigation, Congressman, and I can't discuss that right now.
Mr Cline (01:18:17):
I think the answer should be no, but I'll leave that to the judges and to this committee to decide. Thank you.
Mr. Rogers (01:18:23):
Time of the gentleman has expired. Ms. Dean.
Ms. DeLauro (01:18:28):
Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member. Thank you, Ranking Member. Thank you. And welcome Attorney General Bondi.
Pam Bondi (01:18:35):
Thank you.
Ms. DeLauro (01:18:38):
I just sincerely wonder, do you hear how hollow your last words sound, in light of the pardon of all of the January 6 people. Day one of this administration… I believe you're sincere. You want to protect law enforcement, but your principal, the president, pardoned every single one on January 6th. It rings hollow when you say these words, that if you spit on a police officer, we're going to go after you. Talk to my friends who are capital police officers who were here, five of whom are no longer here. They are dead, and this administration… And I guess I want to ask you, did you have any advice for the president when he came forward with the blanket pardon on January 20th?
Speaker X (01:19:26):
She wasn't the attorney then.
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:27):
What advice did you offer the president?
Pam Bondi (01:19:29):
I am never going to talk about conversations, advice.
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:34):
Were you asked for-
Pam Bondi (01:19:34):
Anyway-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:34):
Were you asked for advice?
Pam Bondi (01:19:35):
… I'm never going to talk about discussions I've had or-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:38):
Because you'll-
Pam Bondi (01:19:38):
… have not had. If I can answer-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:38):
You'll remember-
Pam Bondi (01:19:39):
… with the President of the United-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:40):
Yes or no?
Pam Bondi (01:19:40):
… States.
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:43):
Did you give him any advice? Yes or no?
Pam Bondi (01:19:45):
I am not going to discuss any conversations that-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:48):
That's a no.
Pam Bondi (01:19:48):
… I have had with the-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:49):
And in your own words-
Pam Bondi (01:19:49):
You just put words in my mouth.
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:51):
But-
Pam Bondi (01:19:51):
I'm not going to discuss-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:51):
No. I'm going to reveal your own words.
Pam Bondi (01:19:53):
I am not-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:53):
Just a moment.
Pam Bondi (01:19:54):
… going to-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:55):
Please stop.
Pam Bondi (01:19:55):
… discuss conversations-
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:55):
Please stop. This is my time.
Pam Bondi (01:19:56):
… that I've had with the President of the United States.
Ms. DeLauro (01:19:58):
Attorney General-
Pam Bondi (01:19:59):
You asked me a question-
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:00):
I would like to reclaim-
Pam Bondi (01:20:00):
… and you asked me to answer.
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:01):
… the last 20 seconds, sir. I have asked to reclaim my time. Please put 20 seconds back on the clock.
Mr. Rogers (01:20:06):
You have an extra 30.
Speaker X (01:20:09):
Maybe if let her answer, she'll actually stop.
Mr. Rogers (01:20:09):
If the general-
Speaker X (01:20:10):
When she-
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:10):
She answered. And then answered it again, and answered it again with a non-answer.
Speaker X (01:20:14):
Oh, busted.
Mr. Rogers (01:20:14):
If the-
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:15):
I ask for your consideration of-
Mr. Rogers (01:20:16):
If the gentlelady-
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:17):
… putting time on.
Mr. Rogers (01:20:18):
… will-
Speaker X (01:20:18):
Again-
Mr. Rogers (01:20:18):
… let the witness-
Speaker X (01:20:18):
… I [inaudible 01:20:20]-
Mr. Rogers (01:20:19):
… answer the questions-
Speaker X (01:20:20):
… to begin with.
Mr. Rogers (01:20:22):
… we will-
Speaker X (01:20:22):
Answer the-
Mr. Rogers (01:20:22):
… [Inaudible 01:20:23].
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:26):
She answered it by saying no. Okay. The three hallmarks of this administration are incompetence, corruption-
Speaker X (01:20:30):
[inaudible 01:20:32].
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:31):
… and cruelty. I'm going to focus today on corruption. And in my mind, there are two types of corruption. Personal and then the other, I'm going to call public governmental. Attorney General, have you ever been registered as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agent's Registration Act?
Pam Bondi (01:20:53):
I assume you're talking about when I represented the country of Qatar for a very short time.
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:58):
The answer is-
Pam Bondi (01:20:59):
Hold on.
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:59):
No.
Pam Bondi (01:20:59):
Hold on.
Ms. DeLauro (01:20:59):
Excuse me.
Pam Bondi (01:20:59):
No.
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:00):
No.
Pam Bondi (01:21:00):
For anti-human trafficking-
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:01):
Just-
Pam Bondi (01:21:02):
… for the World Cup-
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:03):
I didn't-
Pam Bondi (01:21:04):
… anti-human trafficking for-
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:05):
Yes or No?
Pam Bondi (01:21:06):
… the World Cup.
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:07):
Attorney General-
Pam Bondi (01:21:07):
You can't put words in my mouth.
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:07):
No.
Pam Bondi (01:21:09):
You want to talk about incompetence?
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:11):
This isn't-
Pam Bondi (01:21:11):
You're the one that-
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:11):
Excuse me.
Pam Bondi (01:21:13):
… said Joe Biden on PBS was competent. You had to retract those words.
Speaker X (01:21:18):
Mr. Chairman-
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:19):
Mr. Chairman-
Pam Bondi (01:21:19):
So don't talk to me.
Speaker X (01:21:20):
Point of order.
Pam Bondi (01:21:20):
Don't insult me-
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:21):
The-
Pam Bondi (01:21:21):
… publicly.
Speaker X (01:21:21):
[inaudible 01:21:22].
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:22):
This is so discourteous.
Speaker X (01:21:23):
[inaudible 01:21:25].
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:24):
This is so outside the committee's guidelines. Taking a personal shot at me while swiping at Biden, very strange-
Speaker X (01:21:34):
Oh.
Ms. DeLauro (01:21:34):
… and very unprofessional of you. The answer is yes or no, and the answer is yes. You were registered as a lobbyist for Qatar. Is that correct? Yes. Never mind. Don't answer. Did you disclose that when you went before the Senate for confirmation? Yes or no? No, it was not in your documents. The answer is no. President Trump-
Pam Bondi (01:21:58):
This was discussed at my confirmation hearings in detail.
Ms. DeLauro (01:22:01):
Well, it was discussed, but you failed to bring up the conflict that you had. President Trump recently announced he'd accept that $400 million Qatar airplane because it was just prettier than the one he was flying around in. Is it true that you gave advice that this was legally permissible? Yes or no?
Pam Bondi (01:22:21):
I will not discuss any advice that my office of legal counsel gives to the President of the United States on any matter.
Speaker X (01:22:30):
Executive privilege-
Ms. DeLauro (01:22:31):
When you-
Speaker X (01:22:31):
… denied.
Ms. DeLauro (01:22:32):
… spoke before the Senate, you said you would ask for ethical advice. Did you recuse yourself from that issue?
Pam Bondi (01:22:38):
And talking about unprofessional, you say the president wanted a jet because it's pretty-
Ms. DeLauro (01:22:43):
Excuse me.
Pam Bondi (01:22:44):
This is a Senate… This a-
Ms. DeLauro (01:22:45):
He said it himself.
Pam Bondi (01:22:46):
… congressional hearing.
Ms. DeLauro (01:22:47):
He said it himself. Let me go to April the 2nd. You're a part of this. The president has dabbled in Memecoin. He had you, the DOJ, disband the National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team. His son recently launched the Executive Branch club, a private club with $500,000 memberships here in D.C. Any of this seem like it might be a problem, might be profiteering from the office and maybe you and your ethics team might be concerned about these conflicts of interest, your own and the president and his family? Yes or no? Any concerns?
Pam Bondi (01:23:35):
What I would be concerned about in Pennsylvania are all the child sex-
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:39):
I didn't-
Pam Bondi (01:23:39):
… cases that we've prosecuted, all the CSAM cases that-
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:42):
Did you-
Pam Bondi (01:23:42):
… we've prosecuted-
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:43):
Did you hear my question?
Pam Bondi (01:23:44):
… in Pennsylvania.
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:45):
I asked the witness to actually-
Pam Bondi (01:23:46):
That's what I would be concerned about-
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:47):
… answer questions that are asked.
Pam Bondi (01:23:48):
… Congresswoman Dean.
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:49):
Chairman-
Mr. Rogers (01:23:50):
Please let the witness answer the question.
Speaker X (01:23:52):
She's not-
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:53):
She didn't.
Speaker X (01:23:53):
[inaudible 01:23:54] questions. That's an answer.
Ms. DeLauro (01:23:55):
And I would like to ask you one more question. You're not just complicit in this. You're actively helping and profiting.
Speaker X (01:24:01):
I am [Inaudible 01:24:02].
Ms. DeLauro (01:24:01):
Isn't it true that on April the 2nd, the same day that Trump announced his chaotic tariff regime that plummeted the stock market, you sold more than $1 million worth of your shares in Trump media stock. Trump media stock fell 13% in the following days. Seems you avoided that loss. Well done. I yield back.
Pam Bondi (01:24:24):
May I answer that, Chairman?
Mr. Rogers (01:24:25):
[inaudible 01:24:27].
Pam Bondi (01:24:26):
I complied with my ethics and yeah, I would take a class in financial literacy if you think I profited from that, because I lost a tremendous amount of money, Congresswoman. And also, on page 25 of my SJ2, it lists my involvement with Qatar for anti-human trafficking for the World Cup. Thank you.
Mr. Rogers (01:24:50):
Mr. Moore.
Mr. Moore (01:24:53):
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding the hearing. Thank you, Attorney General Bondi for being here. You just mentioned this previously, and obviously as you're aware about the recently uncovered information about the FBI's egregious, politically motivated, anti-Catholic field memo, which was disseminated to more than 1,000 employees, the Biden administration claimed that this memo only was circulated at the Richmond Field Office. It's now clear that this memo went much beyond just that one field office. This was a memo that suggested that Catholics based on their theological beliefs and practices were radical and that their traditional parishes were vectors for extremism. The FBI went so far as to infiltrate and spy on Sunday masses. So Attorney General Bondi, I'm grateful for your efforts to combat anti-Christian bias, including the task force you recently stood up. It's clear from both the original leaked memo and the additional documentation that has been released, that extremist Southern Poverty Law Center was the basis for this anti-Catholic bigotry coming from the FBI. Will you commit to not use the Southern Poverty Law Center to determine who is a hate group?
Pam Bondi (01:26:20):
Committed to working with you on that, Congressman, and thank you for bringing that up about… Yeah. That was horrible, what happened to Catholics and that memo. It didn't just happen to Catholics. Of course, it happened to parents at school boards. It happened to people who are peacefully protesting at abortion clinics. That's the end of weaponization under the Trump administration.
Mr. Moore (01:26:49):
Well, thank you for that, Attorney General Bondi. What additional resources can this committee provide to further execute your efforts to eradicate anti-Christian bias in the federal government?
Pam Bondi (01:27:03):
Yeah. We're committed to working with you. Our civil rights division led by Harmeet Dhillon is doing an incredible job working on those issues and many more. Our civil rights division… I met with her this morning. I talk to them almost daily, and they are working to protect people of all religions. And especially now, I'm actually surprised that hasn't come up yet this morning. But in light of everything happening with Israel, all of the antisemitic things that had been happening around our country… I went to the crime scene here in D.C., of two young people who were leaving a Jewish museum and were gunned down simply because of their religion. It was horrific. It was horrific. And then it Boulder, Colorado when a Holocaust survivor was firebombed, lit on fire because she was Jewish. And so it's not only Catholics, it's every religion. And even mosques that we're slow-walked under the Biden administration and not allowed to open. We will protect every religion in this country.
Mr. Moore (01:28:11):
Well, thank you for your commitment to that, and I truly appreciate it. And I think everybody of faith in the United States appreciates that. And I just want to switch gears real quick to just another topic. In 2022, the D.C. Metropolitan Police recovered the remains of five unborn children, apparently from a D.C. abortion mill, which appeared to be the victim's… These five remains that were found victims of a brutal partial birth abortion. As you know, Congress passed a bipartisan law outlawing this gruesome practice in the early 2000s. Public reporting suggests that President Biden's DOJ directed the D.C. Chief Medical Examiner to destroy the remains of the children without performing an autopsy, which the CME appears not to have done yet. General Bondi, will you commit to working with me and this committee to conduct a full and fair investigation into the deaths of these children to ensure justice is served for the D.C. five?
Pam Bondi (01:29:16):
Yeah. And Congressman, that is a ongoing investigation and pending, so I cannot discuss that in this forum. But on a collateral matter, the woman who retrieved those five fetuses was convicted, and she was pardoned by President Trump. And they were basically unborn babies, is what is alleged in the… but I can't discuss it any further.
Mr. Moore (01:29:41):
All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you, Attorney General Bondi. I yield back
Mr. Rogers (01:29:47):
Mr. Mrvan.
Mr. Mrvan (01:29:49):
Thank you, Chairman. Thank you, Ranking Member. Attorney General, thank you for joining us today. Our law enforcement officers, first responders, and local safety agencies are the backbone of our communities. In Northwest Indiana, I've worked hard to bring critical federal grant dollars home, funds that directly support the brave men and women who protect us every day. Unfortunately, funding for 2025 has been rescinded, weakening our public safety framework and making our neighborhoods less safe. I, first hand, have a positive impact in securing dollars and investments for Gary, Indiana, East Chicago, Lake County, and Michigan City that were force multipliers that were technology such as license plate readers and the cops' grant. I'm asking you today, what can we do to ensure that those funds are going to continue to flow to my district? And in light of the HIDTA… I'm in Northwest Indiana, Gary, Indiana. We are a HIDTA district, where we have the Chicago traffic. That's vitally important to my district. I just need commitments that that funding will continue to be going forward and that our agencies will have that support.
Pam Bondi (01:30:54):
Congressman, thank you for bringing that up. I'm well aware of the HIDTA. I believe that's in Maryville. Is that correct?
Mr. Mrvan (01:30:58):
You're correct.
Pam Bondi (01:31:00):
And yes, that funding will remain where it is. We do not intend on touching that funding. We want to protect HIDTA.
Mr. Mrvan (01:31:07):
Very good. So in light of the escalation with Iran, part of our cybersecurity and our infrastructure when it comes to our electric grid, our banking systems, that is a new threat. Does this budget reflect increasing our cybersecurity protections? And how is the Department of Justice going to protect our infrastructure when it comes to bad actors, such as Iran, coming directly at our infrastructure in a cyber attack?
Pam Bondi (01:31:42):
Yeah. We have $50 million for cybersecurity and also in the one big deal-
Mr. Mrvan (01:31:48):
With an M?
Pam Bondi (01:31:49):
… with a-
Mr. Mrvan (01:31:49):
50 million?
Pam Bondi (01:31:50):
50 million, but also in the one big beautiful bill, it is also addressed to give us more resources. And it's not only Iran-
Mr. Mrvan (01:31:58):
Can I ask?
Pam Bondi (01:31:59):
As you well know, it's China as well.
Mr. Mrvan (01:32:00):
Right.
Pam Bondi (01:32:00):
But yes, I wholeheartedly agree with you.
Mr. Mrvan (01:32:03):
Tomato, tomato. In the reconciliation bill, can you tell me what more resources are going to go towards cybersecurity? Because I was under the impression that was decreased.
Pam Bondi (01:32:15):
I will get you those numbers.
Mr. Mrvan (01:32:18):
Okay. Yes.
Pam Bondi (01:32:18):
I want to do everything I can to help you protect cybersecurity, all of us in this country. Not only again with Iran, but also with China and all of our foreign adversaries around the world.
Mr. Mrvan (01:32:28):
Okay. And then just a question of curiosity that I have. Director Patel was here a couple of weeks ago, and we talked about the emails that went to the FBI agents, meaning please tell us what you did at the end of the week. Give us five reasons why you did. At first, Director Patel said that that didn't exist. Then he specifically said, well, that came from the Department of Justice to the FBI agents and I… His words, "I told them not to fulfill that obligation." How do you manage that if you give a directive to your director of FBI, and he chooses not to fulfill that? And where did that information go? So when someone from the FBI, an agent, fulfilled that obligation of giving you the information of what they were working on, where did that data go and how is it secured?
Pam Bondi (01:33:15):
Yeah. And Congressman, I'd be happy to see who answered that, but I asked… When I learned about it, I asked that it be withdrawn. And it was that email.
Mr. Mrvan (01:33:24):
When you learned about the email going to the FBI agents, you asked them to withdraw it. Who did you ask to have it withdrawn?
Pam Bondi (01:33:30):
My entire office, and it was.
Mr. Mrvan (01:33:32):
So it is unknown who sent that email?
Pam Bondi (01:33:35):
Well, it came from my office, but when I learned it went to the FBI, we asked that it be withdrawn.
Mr. Mrvan (01:33:42):
Where is the gap of my understanding? If it came from your office, you're telling me you didn't send it?
Pam Bondi (01:33:48):
I didn't realize it went to the FBI. That email went out-
Mr. Mrvan (01:33:51):
So-
Pam Bondi (01:33:51):
And the purpose of that email was to make sure… Just so you know, it wasn't… It was make sure that these people were sitting at their desk and working and alive, that there were people actually responding.
Mr. Mrvan (01:34:02):
Okay. And I agree.
Pam Bondi (01:34:02):
It could have been, I got up and got a cup of coffee.
Mr. Mrvan (01:34:04):
Sure.
Pam Bondi (01:34:04):
That would be perfect.
Mr. Mrvan (01:34:05):
So without going into that, the people that did answer it, where did that data go?
Pam Bondi (01:34:10):
I will find out, and I will get you that information.
Mr. Mrvan (01:34:12):
And I only ask as a national security issue-
Pam Bondi (01:34:14):
Absolutely.
Mr. Mrvan (01:34:15):
… as they're working on sensitive issues. And I thank you for joining us, and I yield back my time.
Ms. DeLauro (01:34:19):
Thank you.
Mr. Rogers (01:34:22):
Gentleman yields back. That concludes today's hearing. I want to thank our witness, Attorney General Bondi for being here today.
Speaker X (01:34:33):
Mr. Chairman, so-
Mr. Rogers (01:34:34):
We would normally like to do-
Speaker X (01:34:35):
[inaudible 01:34:37].
Mr. Rogers (01:34:36):
… another round of questions, but we don't have time.
Speaker X (01:34:39):
Yes, we do.
Mr. Rogers (01:34:41):
The gentlelady, the attorney general has meetings scheduled-
Speaker X (01:34:45):
Oh, yeah.
Mr. Rogers (01:34:46):
… I think at 4:00.
Pam Bondi (01:34:46):
Thank you.
Speaker X (01:34:46):
Thank you [inaudible 01:34:47].
Mr. Rogers (01:34:48):
So we will not be able to do a second round because of that.
Speaker X (01:34:52):
Great. To answer the question-
Mr. Rogers (01:34:54):
So without objection, members may-
Speaker X (01:34:56):
… [inaudible 01:34:56].
Mr. Rogers (01:34:56):
… have seven days to submit additional questions for the record. Subcommittee stands adjourned.
