D.C. Dispatch: Grassley promotes law enforcement funding in ‘big, beautiful, bill’

In this week’s D.C. Dispatch, Sen. Chuck Grassley touted provisions in the “one, big, beautiful bill” that would increase funding for law enforcement and immigration agencies.

Meanwhile, a coalition of nonprofit organizations is seeking changes to the bill, and Iowa delegation members also addressed proposals this week dealing with fentanyl trafficking, violent crime, federal benefit fraud and more.

Immigration, law enforcement funding

Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the text Thursday for the panel’s provisions in the Senate’s version of the budget reconciliation legislation. The provisions seek to increase funding for immigration agencies, reimburse states for immigration-related expenses, provide additional funding to law enforcement agencies, impose additional fees on immigration applications, and hire additional Department of Justice attorneys to challenge universal injunctions. 

The immigration agencies expected to receive additional funding under this bill are the Department of Homeland Security, receiving $2.05 billion; Immigration and Customs Enforcement, receiving $29.85 billion; and the Department of Justice, receiving $3.32 billion. Funding is distributed with the primary intention of increasing the staffing in these agencies. 

The Bridging Immigration-related Deficits Experienced Nationwide Reimbursement Fund seeks to reimburse states for funds spent on “investigation, location, apprehension or temporary detention” of unauthorized immigrants. 

Under the new provisions, additional funding will also be allocated to expand resources to police and law enforcement officers. Funding will be allocated to the Bureau of Prisons for “capital improvements to detention structures” and increased staff. Additional funding will be allocated to law enforcement training centers, the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, Community Oriented Policing Services and the 287(g) program. The 287(g) program allows non-ICE law enforcement agencies to enforce certain aspects of U.S. immigration law.

Outside of increased funding, the provisions will require courts to publish metrics on the frequency of universal injunctions, establishing judicial training programs on the impact of universal injunctions and requiring that courts impose a bond upfront when litigants seek a preliminary injunction. A universal injunction is a federal court decision that blocks the government from enforcing a law or policy nationwide.

Iowa nonprofits ask Sens. Ernst and Grassley to reconsider provisions in joint letter

The Iowa Nonprofit Alliance and 96 other Iowa nonprofit organizations wrote a joint letter addressed to Grassley and Sen. Joni Ernst urging them to reconsider provisions outlined in budget reconciliation bill approved by the House. 

The specific provisions addressed in the letter were budget cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Pell Grant reductions, changes to charitable deductions and new tax burdens on nonprofits. The letter argues the budget cuts will “harm Iowa families” and simultaneously “increase pressure on community-based nonprofits” seeking to fill the space. Over 730,000 Iowans rely on Medicaid and SNAP with one-third of them reliant on both programs.

They also argue the reduction to Pell grants come at a time when Iowa is “struggling to fill essential jobs,” and the cuts will make higher education less accessible, “weakening the economy in the long run.”

The letter said these organizations were “alarmed” by proposals to cap or lessen universal charitable deduction and impose new taxes on nonprofits and foundations. They argue these changes would “reduce donations, divert resources away from essential services, and undermine our ability to serve our communities,” at a time with increased demand for nonprofits and with demand expected to increase if the bill is passed.

“Nonprofits are not just service providers—we are employers, community hubs, and often the last line of support for people in crisis,” said Alex Rice, executive director of Iowa Nonprofit Alliance, in a press release. “We ask our senators to stand with Iowa’s communities and the organizations working every day to support them.”

Fentanyl enforcement bill passes through Congress

Bipartisan legislation to permanently classify “fentanyl-related” substances as Schedule I drugs headed to the president’s desk after passing the U.S. House Thursday on a vote of 321-104.

Grassley led the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, with Sens. Bill Cassidy, a Republican from Louisiana and Martin Heinrich, a Democrat from New Hampshire, according to a news release. 

Schedule I drugs are classified as “drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, rendering drugs in this category effectively illegal for anything outside of research, with few exceptions.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, synthetic opioids like fentanyl made up for 68% of overdose deaths in 2022.

“I’m proud to see Republicans take real action to combat the fentanyl crisis, advance life-saving research and support our brave men and women in blue,” Grassley said.

Ernst bill targets foreign-led crimes

The Deterring External Threats and Ensuring Robust Responses to Egregious and Nefarious Criminal Endeavors Act heads to the House of Representatives. This bill seeks to “increase criminal penalties for individuals who commit or attempt to commit, violent crimes in the United States.”

Under the DETERRENCE Act, individuals convicted of an offense “at the direction of or in coordination with a foreign government,” could see their sentences increase by up to 10 years.

“Peace through strength is back and that includes right here at home. I look forward to the House swiftly passing this commonsense bill to create severe consequences for those who wish to harm our citizens,” Ernst said in a press release

Nunn introduces bill to reimburse ‘victims of SNAP fraud’

As Republicans in Congress seek to reduce federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Rep. Zach Nunn introduced legislation this week aimed at benefit fraud.

The SNAP Anti-Theft and Victim Compensation Act of 2025 would expand the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General to investigate and prevent cases of SNAP benefits theft. Under this act. the inspector general would be authorized “to issue subpoenas, coordinate across law enforcement agencies, and access EBT processor data during investigations.”

It also authorizes states to distribute compensation to families with stolen benefits and establishes a new civil penalty to act as a deterrent to fraud. Individuals found guilty of SNAP fraud would be penalized for “twice the value of the stolen benefits.”

Nunn proposes bills dealing with law enforcement, student housing

Nunn also introduced several bipartisan bills last week.

The Retired Law Enforcement Officers Continuing Service Act, introduced Tuesday, aims to establish a new federal grant program to allow law enforcement agencies to hire retired officers “to serve in civilian roles like forensics, financial crimes, and IT analysis,” and train civilian personnel. This bill is co-led by California Democratic Reps. Josh Harder and Eric Swalwell, and Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Pennsylvania.

The Preventing Lethal Agricultural and National Threats Act, introduced Thursday, would create a new criminal offense for “importing high-risk agricultural biological agents with increased penalties for individuals linked to foreign governments.” This bill is co-led by Rep. Josh Riley, a Democrat from New York.

The Campus Housing Affordability for Foster Youth Act, introduced Thursday, aims to allow the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to waive restrictions on using Section 8 assistance for on-campus housing for students with foster care or emancipation backgrounds.

Section 8 assistance is a voucher program provided by HUD to help individuals afford safe, private housing. Current federal policy blocks the use of Section 8 for college students seeking on-campus housing.

This bill is co-led by Greg Landsman, a Democrat from Ohio; Mike Lawler, a Republican from New York; Joyce Beatty, a Democrat from Ohio, and Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska.

Hinson introduces RNs for Rural Health Act

Reps. Ashley Hinson and Hilary Scholten, a Democrat from Michigan, introduced the bipartisan RNs for Rural Health Act, which seeks to update Medicare policy. The revision would allow registered nurses to perform Medicare annual wellness visits at rural health clinics.

Currently, the clinics are reimbursed for visits, only when annual wellness visits are performed by approved RHC practitioners, RNs are not included.

“This is a commonsense solution that expands healthcare access, reduces costs, and enhances care in rural districts like mine—a win for our communities, medical professionals, and their patients,” Hinson said in a press release.

This story has been updated with budget information from the Senate Judiciary Committee proposal.