Scott Slams Latest House GOP Political Stunt on Policing
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting against H. Con. Res. 40:
“Instead of taking real action to support law enforcement officers and address gun violence to keep them and our communities safe, the House voted on a meaningless, non-binding resolution that curiously left out any mention of federal law enforcement.
“While Congress has little to zero ability to either fund or defund local police departments, on the few votes Congress has taken recently to actually fund police, Democrats have consistently voted for police funding while Republicans voted against it. Just recently, they passed their reckless Default on America Act, which would indiscriminately cut trillions of dollars from the budget, including funds for state and local law enforcement. Last Congress, they unanimously voted against the American Rescue Plan, which provided critical funds to states and localities to keep cops on the beat. And in the months after the January 6th insurrection on the Capitol, not a single Republican voted in favor of the original emergency supplemental funding bill for the U.S. Capitol Police. Importantly, many House Republicans are on record calling to defund the F.B.I., including Congressman Jim Jordan, the Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, who suggested defunding the F.B.I in the appropriations process, last month.
“If House Republicans were serious about supporting police, they should support all law enforcement officers and stop advocating to dismantle federal law enforcement agencies and cutting federal funding for state and local law enforcement. I hope that my colleagues will join us in the fight to keep our communities safe, fund the police and reduce gun violence.”
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