By Suzie Ziegler
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s 2023 budget proposal will include more than $32 billion in new funding to fight crime, reported Axios on Monday.
The budget calls for $20.6 billion for Justice Department discretionary spending on federal law enforcement, crime prevention and intervention, according to the report. The proposal also mandates $30 billion to expand law enforcement and crime prevention over the next decade, although details had not yet been released.
According to Axios, the discretionary spending would pay for the following:
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More than twice as much funding for community policing through the COPS Office.
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300 deputy marshals and related personnel.
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140 ATF agents for gun trafficking and 160 ATF investigators working on gun-dealer compliance.
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More funds for police agencies to trace firearms found at crime scenes.
“We should all agree: the answer is not to defund the police. It’s to fund the police,” Biden said earlier this month in his State of the Union address. “Fund them with resources and training.”
“The President’s budget will reflect three important values: fiscal responsibility, safety and security at home and abroad, and a commitment to building a better America,” one White House official told Axios.