After 17 months of rigorous investigation, House Republicans are set to impose significant consequences on federal bureaucrats accused of politicizing government operations for partisan purposes. Key lawmakers revealed that the initial measures would include budget cuts and criminal referrals, targeting those believed to have unfairly pursued conservatives, including former President Donald Trump.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan spearheaded this new phase by submitting on Monday a comprehensive plan to defund agencies and prosecutors who targeted conservatives. Jordan emphasized the importance of leveraging the power of the purse to check what he perceives as governmental overreach.

“[We] should use the power of the purse,” Jordan stated on the John Solomon Reports podcast. “It’s why I opposed the big omnibus spending, it’s why I oppose…when we gave $200 million for a new FBI headquarters. But yes, we should use the power of the purse. Unfortunately, we haven’t to the degree we need to.”

Jordan indicated ongoing discussions with the appropriations committee to focus on specific appropriation bills that could help in defunding targeted agencies.

In a parallel move, Chairman Jason Smith of the House Ways and Means Committee is pushing for a criminal referral to charge Hunter Biden with lying to Congress. Smith highlighted evidence provided by two IRS whistleblowers, which he claims shows Hunter Biden lied during depositions in February 2023.

“It’s the next thing that should be moving forward, without a doubt based on the evidence,” Smith said on the Just the News, No Noise TV show. He stressed the need for a criminal referral based on the discrepancies in Hunter Biden’s testimony.

The public health establishment has also come under scrutiny. Chairman Brad Wenstrup of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic stated that his committee is considering criminal referrals for Dr. Anthony Fauci and other officials from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Wenstrup cited potential criminal liability stemming from actions during the COVID-19 response.

“The amount of criminal liability that exists there should definitely be sought,” Wenstrup told Just the News, following testimony from Dr. Fauci.

These accountability measures are being pursued as the 2024 election approaches. Jordan acknowledged the time constraints but affirmed his commitment to moving forward. He confirmed that his subcommittee, dedicated to investigating the weaponization of the federal government, has secured $4.5 million in new funding.

The House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government is focused on exploring criminal referrals and defunding agencies that have pursued Republican critics of the Biden administration, particularly former President Trump. The additional funding will support the subcommittee’s investigations throughout the summer, with 15 new staff members hired to bolster their efforts.

“This is how we figured out the censorship issue, and the FBI’s actions targeting Catholics and pro-life supporters as extremists,” Jordan stated, referencing the subcommittee’s past investigations.

The subcommittee’s probe into politically motivated prosecutions has intensified following the conviction of former President Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records. Jordan has requested Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and lead prosecutor Michael Colangelo to testify before his committee. The hearing, scheduled for June 13, will examine state and local prosecutors’ politically motivated actions.

In a letter to the House Appropriations Committee chairman, Jordan detailed his budget requests for fiscal year 2025. These include recommendations to strip funding from state and local prosecutors, defund the special counsel prosecuting Trump, and eliminate nonessential FBI funding.

“We recommend that the Appropriations Committee eliminate federal funding for state prosecutors or state attorneys general involved in lawfare and zero out federal funding for federal prosecutors engaged in such abuse,” Jordan wrote.

An earlier investigation by Jordan found that the FBI had targeted traditional Catholics as “radical” and linked them to “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists.”

Chairman Wenstrup reiterated the need for accountability, especially in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted that Fauci and his advisor, Dr. David Morens, allegedly used private emails for official business to avoid Freedom of Information Act accountability.

“We have asked Dr. Fauci for all of his emails,” Wenstrup said. “We should find out the truth.”

Chairman Smith is also keen on holding Hunter Biden accountable. Last month, Smith accused Biden of lying to Congress, citing discrepancies in his testimony compared to information from IRS whistleblowers.

“Hunter Biden’s deposition is key to understanding the attempts to conceal how the family made millions from selling access,” Smith stated.

The three chairmen view the upcoming election as a critical opportunity, criticizing the Biden administration for its slow responses and roadblocks to their inquiries. Smith emphasized the importance of the information provided by the IRS whistleblowers.

“Ultimately, it’s going to depend on the Trump administration, who the new attorney general is on…the Fauci concerns and things that we were told that weren’t accurate,” Jordan concluded on the John Solomon Reports podcast.