Shaheen Vows Action on Hate Crimes in Budget Process: “The Weak Response from the Trump Administration is Unacceptable”

**Her call follows a surge in hate crimes nationwide, including bomb threats directed at Jewish community centers and desecration of Jewish cemeteries**

(Washington, DC) – Today, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the lead Democrat on the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee announced her intention to bolster the federal response to hate crimes as she works across the aisle on the annual agency budgets for the Department of Justice including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Civil Rights Division. Her call comes as hate crimes have increased nationwide, including bomb threats directed at Jewish community centers across the country, at least two instances where Jewish cemeteries were extensively vandalized, and a possible hate crime in Kansas where one man of Indian descent was killed and two others were injured.       

“The surge in hate crimes across the country should spur an aggressive response from the federal government, particularly from the Department of Justice,” said Shaheen. “These crimes are reprehensible and un-American. The Trump administration must demonstrate with real action that it stands with religious and racial minorities against hate. The weak response we’ve seen thus far from the Trump administration is unacceptable.”

Senator Shaheen recently took over the Ranking Member position on the Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, after serving in the same position on the Homeland Security Subcommittee.