Fraternal Order of Police, White House link arms on budget bill, recruitment efforts

President Donald Trump welcomed representatives from the National Fraternal Order of Police to the White House Thursday afternoon for a show of solidarity on Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ and working conditions for the nation’s police officers. 

The president continues to push the Senate to pass his ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ — which the order just endorsed last week, after endorsing Trump for president in September 2024. 

National order President Patrick Yoes mentioned the bill’s removal of federal income tax on overtime.

“And I want to start by saying this, you made a promise that you were going to address overtime, tax on overtime, and that was a promise made,” Yoes said. “That one big new bill is certainly making good on that promise. We thank you for that.”

Yoes and others spoke of challenges with police recruitment and retention that have led to massive staffing shortages. A panel member based in D.C. said the D.C. police force was nearly 1,000 officers short.

Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged the support of the Justice Department to the nation’s police officers and said the department was dropping “bogus” lawsuits brought by the previous administration. 

“We are dismissing lawsuits filed by the Biden DOJ against police departments in Louisville, Minneapolis, Albuquerque,” Bondi said, “and meritless investigations into Phoenix, Trenton, New York City, Oklahoma and elsewhere.”

She added that the department was also ending consent decrees across the country. The Biden DOJ imposed consent decrees, like “legally binding performance improvement plans,” according to the Vera Institute for Justice, for police departments and jail systems requiring them to improve their conditions and treatment of those in custody.

“We’re working with local law enforcement to give you the tools that you need to make our streets safer,” Bondi said.

The order’s national vice president, Joe Gamaldi, also thanked the Trump administration for its enforcement of tighter border and immigration policies, saying it has made police’s job easier.

“Our officers, especially in sanctuary cities, are tired of arresting the same people over and over again who never should have been here in the first place,” Gamaldi said. “Thank you for the incredible efforts by you and your administration to deport these people who have come to our country illegally and then refuse to follow the very laws that we hold so sacred.”