This week, House Republicans will celebrate National Police Week and honor America’s law enforcement heroes when we consider H.Con.Res.40, expressing support for local law enforcement officers and condemning efforts to defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies, H.R. 2494, the POLICE Act of 2023, and H.R. 3091, the Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase Act.
DEMOCRATS WHO SUPPORT DEFUNDING THE POLICE:
- President Biden famously expressed support for the Defund the Police movement during an interview in 2020 but was forced to walk back his statement after public backlash to his position.
- Vice President Kamala Harris applauded Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for defunding the police.
- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “defunding police means defunding police.” Arguing unprecedented cuts to the NYPD did not go far enough.
- Rep. Ayanna Pressley said she supports efforts to defund police departments.
- Rep. Rashida Tlaib called for ‘no more police.’
- Rep. Ilhan Omar said “not only do we need to defund, we need to dismantle” police Departments.
- Rep. Cori Bush said that she would “make sure” she has private security for her protection while simultaneously promising to defund the police for the rest of America.
- This weekend, Rep. Cori Bush doubled down in her support for defunding our police departments on Twitter.
- President Biden’s Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke supported efforts to “defund the police.”
- President Biden’s Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta said officials must heed calls to “decrease police budgets and the scope, role, and responsibility of police in our lives.”
BIDEN’S CRIME CRISIS BY THE NUMBERS:
- According to the National Fraternal Order of Police, in 2023:
- 99 officers have been shot.
- 10 officers have been killed by gunfire.
- The amount of officers shot in the line of duty is up 57%from this time in 2020.
- 33 police officers were shot in ambush-style attacks.
- 27 ambush style attacks on police officers.
- According to the Major Cities Chiefs Association’s 2022 crime report for urban areas across the country, in 2022:
- Homicides were UP 13% since 2020
- Rape was UP 23.56% since 2020
- Aggravated Assaults were UP 33.89% since 2020
- 2021 was the deadliest year in two decades for our law enforcement officers.
- Biden’s Department of Justice released a report in December showing that even as crime skyrocketed in 2021, federal arrests actually decreased by 35% compared to 2020.