(Washington D.C.) –  Right On Crime sent a letter of support to U.S. lawmakers applauding the proposed policies of the Count the Crimes to Cut Act of 2025. This bi-partisan legislation would mandate collaboration between the Attorney General and federal agency heads to compile a comprehensive report detailing all federal criminal statutes and regulations entailing criminal penalties.

“We have no idea how many federal crimes are currently on the books- no one knows,” said Brett Tolman, former U.S. Attorney and Executive Director of Right On Crime. “Overcriminalization offends both sides of the aisle and is antithetical to our nation’s founding principles. We’ve allowed faceless bureaucrats to make hundreds of thousands of actions illegal with no justification to voters. The Department of Justice is the enforcer of these laws, and Americans must demand accountability.”

“Our criminal code needs to be simplified, and the DOJ and Congress have a responsibility to pare down the giant volume of federal criminal statutes and regulations with criminal penalties,” said Right On Crime National Policy Director Rachel Wright. “Some estimate more than 3,500 criminal statutes and more than 300,000 regulations that carry criminal penalties. With this massive number of laws, it’s no wonder the average American is estimated to commit three felonies a day.”

This bipartisan legislation, reintroduced and sponsored by Representatives Chip Roy (TX-21), Lucy McBath (GA-06), Andy Biggs (AZ-05), and Steve Cohen (TN-09), promotes policies that address the overcriminalization epidemic by ensuring each offense requires federal agencies to provide the elements of each offense, potential penalties, and the number of prosecutions brought in the last 15 years for each offense. 

Right On Crime is particularly encouraged that any and every federal statute or regulation for an offense with criminal penalties define the mens rea element required for each offense.

This legislation is supported by Right On Crime, Heritage Action, the Due Process Institute, Families Against Mandatory Minimums, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National District Attorneys Association, and the R Street Institute.

Tolman testified on this topic in 2024 to members of the House Judiciary Committee reciting how a plaque in the halls of justice read, “The hallmark of fairness in the administration of justice is consistency. This principle can easily be lost when there are too many federal criminal laws to keep track of or even understand.” 

The Count the Crimes to Cut Act of 2025 will help remedy this important issue.

Right On Crime is a national campaign of the Texas Public Policy Foundation supporting conservative solutions for fewer victims, less crime, and safer communities. The movement was born in Texas in 2007, established as a national campaign in 2010, and leads the way in implementing conservative criminal justice initiatives across the nation that are just, effective, and fiscally responsible. For more information, visit our website at www.RightOnCrime.com. 

For more information or to request an interview, contact Tonya Kerr ([email protected]).