HR 5672: Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2007

HR 5672 in plain English: This bill appropriates funding for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, Science, and Related Agencies for fiscal year 2007. It funds a wide range of federal law enforcement, legal, and science agencies including the FBI, DEA, ATF, federal prisons, U.S. Marshals, and Office of Justice Programs. The bill also sets specific restrictions on how funds may be used, including limits on abortion-related expenditures and caps on fund transfers between appropriations.

Stated purpose

To provide funding for the Departments of Commerce and Justice, science agencies, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2007, covering their operations, programs, and activities.

Key points

• Provides $5,959,628,000 for the FBI, including $2,307,994,000 for counterterrorism, foreign counterintelligence, and national security activities
• Provides $1,751,491,000 for the Drug Enforcement Administration
• Provides $950,128,000 for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
• Provides $1,331,026,000 for the Federal Detention Trustee and $825,924,000 for the U.S. Marshals Service
• Prohibits use of funds for abortions except in cases of rape or when the mother's life is endangered

Arguments supporters make

• This bill keeps essential federal law enforcement and justice agencies funded and running, ensuring public safety programs continue without interruption.
• It supports state and local governments with resources for policing, anti-drug efforts, and victim services they may not be able to fully fund on their own.
• Targeted investments in areas like narrowband communications and information sharing technology help modernize federal law enforcement capabilities.

Arguments opponents make

• Annual appropriations bills of this size and complexity can bundle together funding decisions that deserve separate debate, making it hard for lawmakers or the public to scrutinize individual choices.
• Critics may argue that specific funding levels for agencies like the DEA or Bureau of Prisons are too high or too low without a thorough review of each program's effectiveness.
• Restrictions and conditions attached to the funding—such as limits on abortion services in federal facilities—can turn a routine spending bill into a vehicle for unrelated policy disputes.

Tradeoffs

Providing broad funding across many agencies ensures government continuity but limits the ability to debate each program's merits individually; meanwhile, conditions placed on how funds may be used reflect ongoing tensions between federal spending authority and specific policy goals.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

NewsClear — neutral news & congressional tracking · Bill of the Week