In Congress, Jen Kiggans Voted To Defund The FBI And Other Law Enforcement Agencies In A Republican-Led Continuing Resolution, And Jen Kiggans Voted For An Amendment By Matt Gaetz To Defund The FBI Headquarters

September 2023: Kiggans Voted For A Continuing Resolution That Would “Reduce The Numbers Of FBI And Drug Enforcement Administration Agents” And “Eliminate Hundreds Of State And Local Law Enforcement Officer Positions Across The Country”

September 2023: Kiggans Voted For A Continuing Resolution With Republican Riders And Nearly 30% Cuts Across The Government. In September 2023, Kiggans voted for: “Passage of the bill, as amended, that would provide funding for federal government operations and services through Oct. 31, 2023, with a 29.9 percent cut from fiscal 2023 levels for most programs. It would fund veterans’ programs, the Department of Homeland Security, national security programs and disaster assistance at full fiscal 2023 levels. It would also implement nearly all provisions of House Republicans’ border security and immigration bill (HR 2), which the House passed in May 2023. It would provide an increase in funding for the Defense Department at rates set forth in House Republicans’ fiscal 2024 defense appropriations bill (HR 4365), which would provide for a 3.6 percent funding increase over fiscal 2023. It would also provide funding increases for the Agriculture Department and provide an additional $220 million above fiscal 2023 levels for Energy Department nuclear programs. Among its border security and immigration provisions, it would require DHS, within seven days of enactment, to resume all activities related to “border wall” construction on the U.S.-Mexico border that were underway or planned prior to Jan. 20, 2021; require DHS to reopen or restore, no later than Sept. 30, 2023, the use of all Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities that were in operation on Jan. 20, 2021; and require DHS to return all unaccompanied children to their country of origin, regardless of whether they are from a contiguous country to the U.S. In addition to provisions of HR 2, it would place limitations on the use of DHS funding provided by the bill, including prohibitions on removing existing U.S.-Mexico border barriers, transporting inadmissible adults into the U.S., and the use of Customs and Border Protection’s “CBP One” app to facilitate the parole of an individual into the U.S. It also would prohibit the use of funds provided by the bill to initiate or resume any project or activity not funded during fiscal 2023 and would establish a congressional fiscal commission tasked with identifying policies to “improve the fiscal situation.” The bill was rejected by a vote of 198-232. [H.R. 5525, Vote #511, 9/29/23; CQ, 9/29/23]

• According To The House Committee On Appropriations Ranking Member DeLauro, The September 2023 Continuing Resolution Would Defund Law Enforcement By Reducing FBI Agents And Eliminating Law Enforcement Officer Positions Across The Country. “Defunding law enforcement. This extreme Republican funding bill would effectively reduce the numbers of FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration

agents and other Federal law enforcement officers, and it would also eliminate hundreds of state and local law enforcement officer positions across the country. This will make our communities less safe, as fewer law enforcement officers will be apprehending violent fugitives, fighting fentanyl and other opioid trafficking, countering cybersecurity threats, and fighting domestic and international terrorism.” [House Committee on Appropriations, Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro, Fact Sheet, 9/29/23]

Kiggans Voted For An Amendment By Matt Gaetz To Defund The FBI Headquarters

2023: Kiggans Voted For An Amendment By Matt Gaetz To Prohibit Funds In The Financial Services And General Government Appropriation From Being Used To Build A New FBI Headquarters. Kiggans voted for “An amendment numbered 54 printed in Part B of House Report 118-269 to prohibit funds from being used for the acquisition of property for a new Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters.” The amendment failed 145-273. [H.R. 4664, Amendment 637, Vote #634, 11/9/23; CQ, 11/9/23]

Kiggans Said Democrats Weaponized The FBI “To Settle Old Political Scores And Silence Their Political Opponents - It’s Corrupt And It’s Flat Out Unacceptable”

August 2022: NPR: “Trump Says FBI Agents Searched His Mar-A-Lago Home In Florida.” “Former President Donald Trump said on Monday that FBI agents had searched his Mar-a-Lago club and residence in Palm Beach, Fla., and opened his safe. The FBI and Department of Justice declined to comment, although Eric Trump said Monday night that he was told the search was related to the possible mishandling of government secrets the Justice Department is known to be investigating after the National Archives retrieved White House records from Mar-a-Lago. […] In a statement put out by his political action committee, Trump said Mar-a-Lago was ‘under siege, raided, and occupied by a large group of FBI agents.’ […] Trump went on to blame Democrats who don't want him to run for president in 2024 for the incident, and said the same people also want to stop Republicans from winning in the midterm elections.” [NPR, 8/9/22]

August 2022: Kiggans Said “The Dangerous Precedent The Democrats Set Yesterday By Weaponizing The FBI Should Anger And Frighten Every American. All To Settle Old Political Scores And Silence Their Political Opponents - It’s Corrupt And It’s Flat Out Unacceptable.” In a post on her campaign Twitter, Kiggans said, “The dangerous precedent the Democrats set yesterday by weaponizing the FBI should anger and frighten every American. All to settle old political scores and silence their political opponents - it’s corrupt and it’s flat out unacceptable.” [Jen Kiggans, Twitter, 8/9/22]

Image: see original report, p. 129

[Jen Kiggans, Twitter, 8/9/22]

• HEADLINE: “Editorial: Youngkin, Kiggans Were Reckless To Join GOP Outrage Over Mar-a-Lago Search Before Facts Emerge” [The Virginia-Pilot, 8/10/22]
• Editorial: Kiggans Went Off “Half-Cocked” With Her Comments On The FBI. “Virginia Sen. Jen Kiggans, who similarly aspires to higher office, also joined those ranks. On Tuesday, she tweeted that

‘Democrats … weaponiz[ed] the FBI … to settle old political scores and silence their political opponents — it’s corrupt and it’s flat out unacceptable.’ In going off half-cocked, Youngkin and Kiggans have some distasteful company.” [The Virginia-Pilot, 8/10/22]

Kiggans Voted Against A Bill Banning Conversion Therapy For Minors

February 2020: Kiggans Voted Against H.B. 386, Which Banned Conversion Therapy For Minors. In February 2020, Kiggans voted against H.B. 386, which “Prohibits any health care provider or person who performs counseling as part of his training for any profession licensed by a regulatory board of the Department of Health Professions from engaging in conversion therapy, as defined in the bill, with any person under 18 years of age and provides that such counseling constitutes unprofessional conduct and is grounds for disciplinary action. The bill provides that no state funds shall be expended for the purpose of conducting conversion therapy with a person under 18 years of age, referring a person under 18 years of age for conversion therapy, or extending health benefits coverage for conversion therapy with a person under 18 years of age. This bill is identical to SB 245.” The bill passed, 22-18. [Virginia General Assembly, HB 386, 2/17/20]

Conversion Therapy Was Condemned By Major National Health Associations And Connected To Increases In Suicidal Thoughts, Drug Abuse, And Depression Amongst LGBTQ Youth

Conversion Therapy Was Condemned By Nearly Every Major National Health Association. “Conversion therapy, sometimes called ‘ex-gay therapy’ or ‘reparative therapy,’ has been condemned by nearly every major health association, including the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Medical Association, which in November backed a nationwide ban.” [NBC News, 3/3/20]

Conversion Therapy Was Associated With An Increase Of Suicidal Thoughts, Drug Abuse, And Depression Amongst LGBTQ Youth. “A 2018 report from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law found that nearly 700,000 LGBTQ adults in the U.S. had received conversion therapy at some point in their lives, with about 350,000 of them having undergone the treatment as adolescents. Conversion therapy, which typically takes the form of talk therapy, is associated with an increase in suicidal thoughts, drug abuse and depression among teens.” [NBC News, 3/3/20]