Committee will come to order. Welcome to todays commerce, justice, and science subcommittee hearing examining the department of justices disco year 2016 budget request fiscal year. Let me welcome Loretta Lynch to her first hearing before this subcommittee as she assumes the important spots ability of serving as our nations chief Law Enforcement officer. Welcome. As you begin your twoyear term as attorney general, i believe it is critical for you to return the office of attorney general to its constitutional purpose which is to enforce the laws of the land, not the degrees and winds of the president. The president has a white House Counsel and pretty plenty of attorneys arguing for his point of view on immigration environmental regulations and more. The attorney general, i believe, is the servant of the loss and citizens of the United States, not the president. I want to encourage you, madam attorney general, to consider this perspective carefully as you begin your service in a job that is critical to our democracy and to the rule of law. I am deeply troubled by your support of the president s unilateral executive actions which provide amnesty to millions of Illegal Immigrants. Fortunately, the sweeping policy changes undertaken without input from congress has been stayed at the courts while the a detailed review is conducted through the lens of the law and the constitution. I hope that while this litigation is pending Congress Progress will be made on key responsibilities that are within the departments jurisdiction such as executive office for immigration review. The president s 2016 budget seeks a funding level of 400 482 million, 135 million above the current 2015 funding level, a big increase. Significant improvements and reforms are needed in our Immigration Court system in order to address the approximately 440,000 pending cases, some of which involve unaccompanied children. This backlog equates to a waiting time of several years before a case is heard, i believe and what hope you would agree that this is unacceptable. The needs are great for Immigration Courts, i have serious reservations about such a large funding increase when inefficiencies and concerns have yet to be addressed within your office. In your new role as attorney general of the United States, im interested in hearing your suggestions and recommendations for prioritizing spending for the departments most Important Missions involving National Security, Law Enforcement, and criminal justice. The president s 2016 budget request for the department of justice totals 29 billion, 2 billion above the 2015 level. While funding for the department of justice is one of the federal governments highest priorities we cannot afford such an increase in spending while operating under our current budget constraints. I am concerned that, even in the midst of the current fiscal climate, the president has proposed new Grant Programs and initiatives that would further stretch the department spending. When it comes to Law Enforcement, your arrival at the department at a critical time of needed leadership is welcome. Since our hearing early this spring, with the departments lawenforcement she is, we have seen the departments that departures of the atf director and the dea administrator. I hope you will Pay Attention to these Law Enforcement agencies. To ensure that they faithfully execute their duties during this time of change. As an example, the bureau of alcohol tobacco and firearms and exposes has a rule pending that would impose burdens burdensome and unnecessary regulations regarding firearms lost or stolen in transit. However, the atfs own statistics indicate this number is insignificant and should not be a cause for concern. It does not warrant such encumbering regulations. Oversight and accountability should remain a top priority for this committee, i have consistently expressed my displeasure to your predecessor regarding the departments resistance to cooperating with the department of justices Inspector General. I continue to hear from the Inspector General that this office his office having difficulties obtaining documents needed to do their job. I urge you to work with the Inspector General to make sure he and his staff can successfully complete their reviews and audits of the department of justice. I have outlined the department. The Department Faces many challenges that will require fiscal support. The path to making progress runs through the subcommittee. I know that. As you begin your tenure, madam attorney general, i want to express the subcommittees hope that we will have a constructive working relationship. Thank you. Senator mikulski thank you mr. Chairman. I want to welcome the attorney general. We are so glad that you were finally, finally, finally confirmed and we could get the on the petty politics that were the obstruction confirmation. Before i go into my statement, i want to remind the committee that yesterday was senator shelbys birthday. Could we join in a round of applause and wish them good health wish him good health. [applause] lets hope that is not the high point of the hearing. You have had an eventful first two weeks, i know this is your first congressional hearing since you have been confirmed. We are looking forward to your testimony. In terms of the Justice Departments needs for its 2016 budget. We are eager to hear from you about the many ongoing efforts of the Many Justice Department agencies. We want to thank you, madam attorney general, for your work in coming to baltimore and your team coming into baltimore. It was helpful to the mayor, to our Police Department, and most of all, to the citizens, to have the presence of the Justice Department. I personally want to thank you on behalf of the entire maryland delegation for the professionalism of your team and your self. I would like to knowledge the right of the Deputy Attorney general, mr. Ron davis, the director. Your Outstanding CommunityRelations Team that came in and provided crucial Technical Assistance during troubling times. We were in baltimore on tuesday together, as you listened to Faithbased Community officials and leaders. You reached out to the freddie gray family. I will not be asking you any questions about the freddie gray investigation, because we know it is ongoing. You have gotten a request from the mayor about asking the department of justice to open a pattern and practice investigation into our Police Department. Later on this afternoon, you will beginning a letter from the maryland allegation supporting that request. That will go forward. I want to say this in many cities across the country, including my own town of baltimore, and communities primarily that have significant populations of color, there has been a tattered and broken trust between the community and the Police Department. We have to restore that trust, we need the Police Department. We want to express our condolences to the people and the Police Department of queens about the death of officer brian moore who was gunned down so brutally. We do need criminal Justice Reform and we needed with an urgency of now. I intend to ask questions about what you need in the way of resources to do the job that needs to be done. And what reforms are needed that are specific and targeted. We are joined today by an s outstanding appropriator and the chair raking member of the authorizing committee. We are here to show that the American People have a government on their side and to have a constitutional focus to what we do. We have put money in the federal checkbook, 2. 3 billion for Grant Programs targeting resources for police, local government and communities. Arrange for more cops on the beat to the rape kit backlog to child abuse. Mayors have told us they need help getting more cops on the beat, we had 180 million in doing that. We wanted to help them have the equipment they needed. 376 million in Grant Programs. Now we have to look what does that mean . Some are crying out for body cameras is this one more gimmick or a crucial tool . Communities and nonprofits want to help young people. This is why we will look for your thoughts either today or in the ongoing discussion. Prevention intervention, who help with things like the legacy to the ongoing mentoring we need. Many civil Rights Groups and Community Leaders have called out for criminal Justice Reform. We are looking forward to your advice to that and know the Judiciary Committee will also be doing it. I will have questions related to money. And also training. If you get the money, should you get training . I look forward to asking questions on if you get cops money, should there be required training on how to deal with racial and ethnic bias . What about the use of force . The National Standards every Department Needs what about body cameras . There are privacy concerns, storage concerns, many concerns. What should we do . Last but not at all these, i hope for both this conversation and ongoing comic the issue of the broken window policy. When the broken window policy was initiated by an eminent sociologist, john wilson, i supported it. I supported it as someone who started her career as a social worker, that if you fix the broken window, you intervene when they were doing minor offenses could we intervene in a way that prevented them from growing up doing major offenses . While we were looking at the broken the criminal the minor criminal, we would fix the broken window, deal with vacant houses, deal with the truancy problem. Now what seems to happen is the policy has deteriorated where we have stopped fixing the broken window and have escalated the frisking. Fixing last year, 120,000 only stops occurred in baltimore, we are a population of 610,000. That is a lot. I do not know what the appropriateness of that but we need to look at it. I sit here as the Ranking Member of the committee that will fund your department and assume my national responsibility. I am here for the 85,000 kids, all of whom a day of the disturbance went home peacefully , what can we do to help them, the 610,000 lawabiding people in baltimore who obeyed the law and helped to do that. We look forward to working with you on what are the tools needed to restore confidence between our police and community . We would put our arms around our young people and see what we can do to help them. Maybe when we fix a broken window, we have to fix a broken political process we have to get the job done. I look forward to your testimony. Welcome to the committee your written testimony will made be made a part of the record. Loretta lynch thank you sir. Thank you, mr. Chairman and remind me to come around on your birthday another day quite a celebration. Good morning, chairman shelby, vice chairman moguls be k mikulski. I look forward to working with all of you, today, and in the days ahead as we seek to protect and serve the American People together. I want to take a moment to extend a special thank you to senator mikulski for your leadership over the last three decades, for your support of the department of justice and its employees and for the extraordinary example of Public Service you have provided to all americans, especially to women. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with you during your final two years in office. As we approach National Police week, which begins this week, it is fitting that we take a moment to consider the contributions and the needs of Law Enforcement thank you, sir. It seems to be fixed. Thank you, mr. Chairman. As i noted, National Police week will begin next week. At this time in history, it is important we take a moment to consider the contributions and needs of our Law Enforcement officers across the country. Law enforcement is a difficult profession, but a noble one. Over the course of my career as a federal prosecutor and as u. S. Attorney for the Eastern District of new york, i have been privileged to work closely with outstanding Public Safety officials. I have seen up close the dangers they face every day. As mentioned by senator mikulski , earlier this week, officer brian moore, a 25yearold new York City Police officer died after being shot while trying to lessen a man in queens. Just two days ago, Sergeant Greg moore of idaho was tragically gunned down, also while interacting with a suspicious individual. The tragic loss of these brave individuals serves as a devastating minor that our nations Public Safety officials put their lives on the line every day to protect they have often never met. Their work is the foundation of the trust that must exist between Law Enforcement officers and the communities we all serve. That is why, when there are allegations of wrongdoing made against individual officers and Police Departments some of the department of justice has a responsibility to examine the evidence and, if necessary, to help them implement change. While i was in baltimore on tuesday, i met with the mayor Law Enforcement officials, and the community faith, and youth leaders. I spoke with an officer who was injured amidst the violence and heard a number of ideas regarding ways in which the Justice Department can continue assisting baltimore as they work to recover from recent unrest. Although the city has made significant strides in their collaborative Reform Efforts with the Community Oriented policing services office, i have not ruled out the possibility that more may need to be done. I sure you senators, i am listening to all voices. We are in the process of considering the request from city officials and community and Police Leaders for an investigation into whether the Baltimore CityPolice Department engaged in a pattern or practice of civil Rights Violations and i intend to have a decision in the coming days. The situation in baltimore involves a core responsibility of the department of justice. Not only to combat illegal contact, conduct, but to prevent circumstances that give rise in the first place. Going forward, your support of the department and of our funding and the president s fiscal year 20 seeking budget request will enable us to build on successes and make further progress in the mission with which we are interested. I am pleased to say that this budget request is in line with my highest priorities. Safeguarding our National Security. Defending the most honorable among us vulnerable among us. And strengthening trust between Law Enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Our most important objective must be protecting the American People on terrorism and other threats to our National Security. As you know, under my predecessor, eric holder, the department of justice engaged in an essential efforts to counter filing extremism and domestic radicalization to strengthen counterterrorism measure promote information sharing and collaboration with the intelligence community. And provide training and Technical Assistance to our foreign partners. We must advance on all fronts, we must prepare to meet new and emerging threats and vigorously defend american citizens at home and abroad. The president s budget request will strengthen our National Security efforts by investing a total of 4. 6 billion in the departments cutting edge programs. This total includes 775 million, an increase of 27 million to address cyber crimes and enhancing the security of information networks. In an age in which criminals have the ability to threaten our National Security and our economic wellbeing from far beyond our borders, is critical that we ban our focus and strengthen our defenses to protect all americans from explication and abuse. I believe that Cyber Security must be the top priority for the