Andy Biggs: “Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has turned the criminal code into a labyrinth, a maze so bloated and disorganized…”

“Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has turned the criminal code into a labyrinth, a maze so bloated and disorganized that not even the DOJ can tell you how many Federal crimes exist. That is why I rise in strong support of H.R. 2159, the Count the Crimes to Cut Act, led by my friend, Chip Roy from Texas, Representative McBath, who is the ranking member on our Subcommittee of Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, and supported by Members of both parties who understand that freedom collapses when the law becomes unknowable. This bill is co-led by staunch conservatives like Representative Roy and myself and our colleagues, who occasionally think differently than us, Mrs. McBath and Mr. Cohen. We disagree on a lot in this Chamber, but we should all agree that Americans should know what conduct is criminal before they are punished for it. The Count the Crimes to Cut Act forces the DOJ to produce a complete list of every Federal criminal statute with the specific legal elements, the authorized penalties, and the number of prosecutions for each offense over the last 15 years. Right now, we literally cannot tell the American people how many Federal crimes exist. I called the Congressional Research Service several years ago because I was interested in this. They said we have no idea.…”