By Caitlin MacNeal @ TalkingPointsMemo.com, June 17

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, a watchdog agency in the federal government that monitors civil rights law enforcement, announced on Friday that it would launch a two-year assessment of the executive branch.

The commission warned that budget cuts proposed by President Donald Trump’s administration could lead to a “dangerous reduction” in civil rights law enforcement.

“The Commission, by majority vote, expresses concern with the Administration’s proposed budget cuts to and planned staff losses in numerous programs and civil rights offices across the federal government that enforce our nation’s federal civil rights laws,” the commission said in a statement [....]

The assessment will look at whether the federal government will be able to properly enforce civil rights law with budget cuts and whether the “management practices” in place in the federal government are sufficient. The commission cited specific actions from federal government agencies that caused concern. The commission noted that the Justice Department decided to place Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in courthouses, arguing it could be a “dangerous impediment to access to justice .” [....]