Q&A: Keeping America Safe

Q&A: Keeping America Safe

With U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

Q: What's driving lower crime rates across the country?

A: In the first two years of the second Trump administration, promising new data show a historic decline in violent crime, particularly in urban areas. The downward trend is boosted by key policy victories to secure the border, lower taxes that strengthened small businesses and family take-home pay and deliver much-needed support for law enforcement. The Biden administration's disastrous open border policies gave criminal networks a green light to push their illicit drug and human trafficking operations into communities across the country. Turning the page on that chaotic chapter has restored U.S. sovereignty and returned law and order to America's streets to improve public safety across the country.

According to the FBI, the historic drop marked the largest year-to-year decline in a century, delivering double-digit declines in violent crime across America. From 2024 to 2025, murder was down 18.1%; robbery lowered 18.5%, aggravated assault declined 7.2%; property crime fell 12.4% and motor vehicle theft dropped 22.7%. The downward crime trend is welcome news to families and businesses who benefit when law and order deliver safer streets. The surge in crime sprees and lawlessness during the previous administration was fueled by radical efforts to defund the police. As chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I've worked to help fix the mess and advance President Trump's law-and-order judicial nominees at the fastest pace since the Reagan administration.

Americans deserve common sense crime-fighting laws and a justice system that enforces the law, investigates crimes and prosecutes offenders. That's why I take a hands-on approach with my congressional oversight responsibilities to keep check on the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to ensure they are doing their jobs, not weaponizing the government to go after political enemies.

Q: What progress has been made to ensure the safety of children?

A: When the FBI Director testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee for an annual oversight hearing, I applauded his leadership for restoring the core mission of the nation's premiere law enforcement agency. During his two-year tenure, all ten of the FBI's Top 10 fugitives have been captured. What's more, the FBI has targeted child exploitation predators and helped to locate and identify more than 11,000 children who were victims of crime. That's up 21% from the previous 18 months. The FBI also has been involved in the arrest of more than 5,000 child predators and human traffickers. The men and women who helped bring online predators, sex traffickers, kidnappers and abusers to justice are bringing peace of mind to moms and dads across the country.

From the helm of the Judiciary Committee, I led an investigation into eight major tech companies regarding their alleged failure to sufficiently report online child sexual exploitation. I'm glad to learn from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that my inquiries led to a significant improvement of their reporting to the CyberTipline. All electronic service providers (ESPs) are required by law to report suspected cases of online child sexual exploitation to NCMEC's CyberTipline. These reports are critical for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute suspected predators.

My oversight work will continue, as well as my efforts to get the landmark James T. Woods Act to the president's desk. This bipartisan legislative package would update insufficient federal sentencing laws against child sex abuse material and address sextortion and violent criminal networks who coerce children into harming themselves or others. These insidious crimes keep moms and dads up at night. I'm fighting to secure justice for families devastated by these crimes and ensure our nation's law enforcement officers and prosecutors have the tools they need to combat child exploitation.

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