WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, during a House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science hearing, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) questioned Attorney General Pam Bondi on ongoing threats to Americans stemming from terrorist organizations.
Transcript lightly edited for clarity
Congressman Gonzales: Thank you, Chairman, and thank you, Attorney General, for being here today. When the DOJ submitted their budget, the United States was a nation at peace. Now, we’re a nation at war. So my questions are going to be focused on national security. How many Iranian sleeper cells do we suspect are in the United States?
Attorney General Bondi: Congressman, I can’t talk about that in this setting. But what I can tell you is that Homeland Security and the FBI are focused on doing everything they can to keep our nation safe—and they will continue to do that. Yes, it’s a frightening time in which we live right now, but President Trump is committed to keeping all Americans safe, and we look forward to working with you on that.
Congressman Gonzales: Great, thank you. How many active cases of threats to the homeland does DOJ currently have open as of today?
Attorney General Bondi: Countless. I can’t talk about those in this setting either—obviously, anything pending regarding national security issues. But there is not a day that goes by that we don’t discuss the issues you just brought up at the Department of Justice. I also know that our counterparts at DoD, HSI, the State Department, and all of our agencies are working together to make America safe—and, in turn, to keep our world safe.
Congressman Gonzales: This is very much on my mind. I spent 20 years in the military. I spent five years in Iraq and Afghanistan. These aren’t just dots on a board. As we saw today, not only are American lives abroad at risk, but it’s also American lives here at home. I don’t want us looking back and asking, what if? I want us to get ahead of it—to give you the resources and the instruments you need to make sure we’re preventing things from happening, not waiting until after the fact. There was a report of over 1,500 Iranian nationals who have entered the country illegally over the last several years. Do we know, out of those 1,500, how many have been convicted of a crime?
Attorney General Bondi: I don’t have the number of convictions, but it’s well over 1,000 who have entered. I don’t know if it’s quite 1,500, but yes, well over 1,000 have entered our country. I can tell you—we are on high alert, and everyone is looking at that very closely.
Congressman Gonzales: Some things just don’t line up. I see the world is on fire now, more than ever before. Once again, when this budget was submitted, we were a nation at peace—and now things have changed. I look at this, and I see law enforcement and national security has a reduction of $645 million and over 1,500 positions. In the notes I have, the FBI will implement cost-saving measures. The largest decreases will be in criminal cyber, response and service branches, and national security branches. FBI criminal investigation, cyber, and international operations will reduce resources and support for various investigations and partnerships. Additionally, the counterintelligence, counterterrorism, threat screening, and weapons of mass destruction programs will experience reductions. I mention those things because, in my eyes, these are the programs that need more resources, more manpower. And not everything is about money—you’ve alluded to this many times. It’s about being more efficient with the things you’re doing. I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we’re looking to get ahead of these problem sets.
Attorney General Bondi: Thank you. We can do more with less. Of course, you can always do more with more—but we’re doing more with less. We’re prioritizing. We’re refocusing. And the budget request supports $7.5 billion for national security. Also, that’s why it’s very important, I believe, for all of you to support the Big Beautiful Bill. That one Big Beautiful Bill gives us a lot of additional funding at the Department of Justice to carry out our mission. The Senate version gives us $11.82 billion. Currently, the House version gives us $3.3 billion. Hopefully, they will come to a compromise in there. But that’s what will truly help the Department of Justice combat all of the issues you brought up—and many others. And thank you for your service to our country, especially now. I didn’t realize you had served in Iraq. Thank you.
Congressman Gonzales: Yeah, no, of course and thank you for saying that. Resources matter, and the Big Beautiful Bill—we look forward to getting that to the President’s desk as soon as possible. Once again, to give you the resources and the tools you need to get ahead of these problems that we see so clearly coming through. I represent nearly half of the southern border. The border is on my mind quite a bit. One of the questions I have—I focus a lot on convicted criminal illegal aliens. Do we know how many illegal aliens have been convicted of a crime in the United States?
Attorney General Bondi: Yes, I can get you those specific numbers. I don’t know them offhand, but it’s many. I can tell you our prosecutors are indicting and charging illegal aliens constantly—violent crimes, rapes, thefts—many crimes throughout this country. And yes, our borders were wide open. Congressman, back in September, I went to our border at Yuma, Arizona—not in Texas, but in Yuma. And what I saw firsthand at our border—there were IDs dropped from every country you can imagine: El Salvador, Venezuela, China—every country you can imagine. And of course, I didn’t see Iranian driver’s licenses, but they are coming into our country. That is documented. Just walking into our country. And that’s why Homeland Security, that’s why ICE, that’s why the FBI—that’s why all of our agencies—DEA, ATF—are working hand in hand to combat that and to keep Americans safe. And that is what President Trump is committed to doing.
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