Nashville Standard

United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today pushed for consideration of his amendment aimed at prohibiting the reallocation of law enforcement funding provided by the Committee without its approval. The amendment specifically targets funds diverted at the request of Jack Smith for political prosecutions, including those against President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

Preliminary estimates suggest that nearly $30 million in law enforcement funds have been redirected by Smith without Committee approval. In Fiscal Year 2023 alone, over $11 million were diverted in this manner. While complete data for Fiscal Year 2024 is not yet available, it is anticipated that the total will be higher due to Smith's increasing prosecutions and recent court losses.

Despite these concerns, all Senate Appropriations Democrats blocked Hagerty’s amendment.

In his prepared remarks, Hagerty stated: "Thank you, Chair Murray and Vice Chair Collins, and Chair Shaheen and Ranking Member Moran. My amendment poses a simple question: Who has the final say over our bill—the Committee or Jack Smith? More specifically, will this Committee allow Jack Smith to override its judgment—without our approval—and defund the resources we provide for real law enforcement against dangerous criminals?"

Hagerty emphasized that more than $11 million allocated for law enforcement in Fiscal Year 2023 were diverted to Smith’s investigation of the Republican presidential candidate. He added that given Smith’s election-year escalations and repeated defeats in court, the diversion of funds is likely worse in Fiscal Year 2024.

"My amendment is simple: it would prohibit the law-enforcement funding provided by this Committee from being defunded at Jack Smith’s request—and without the Committee’s approval," Hagerty said. "My amendment would protect the constitutional prerogative of this Committee over the resources we provide."

Hagerty concluded by questioning whether his colleagues support protecting the role of the Committee and ensuring that law enforcement resources are used to stop dangerous criminals rather than targeting presidential candidates. He called for a roll call vote on his amendment.