When groups that lobby for federal prison reform found there was no money in the budget this year for the First Step Act, many gave Congress and the White House a pass. They focused instead on next year’s funding for the new law, which includes more prison education and job-training programs.

But on Monday, their good faith was put to the test as President Trump released his budget priorities for 2020. Only $14 million was explicitly listed to finance the act’s programs. It’s unclear if additional funding could come from savings that could result from the early release of eligible prisoners under the measure or from reducing expenses elsewhere within the Department of Justice, as some advocates for the programs hope. The White House did not respond to questions.

“It appears that the same bureaucrats that fought the First Step Act at every opportunity are trying to starve it to death through the budget process—this is ‘The Empire Strikes Back,’” said Pat Nolan, director of the American Conservative Union Foundation’s Center for Criminal Justice Reform. He faulted the Justice Department for the low funding request and said he was optimistic that the House and Senate will add millions of dollars to pay for the law’s programs.

[For more on this story by JUSTIN GEORGE, go to https://www.themarshallproject...trump-s-2020-budget?]