Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
Six Democrats on Tuesday broke with their party in the U.S. Senate to vote on a resolution to overturn the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, also known as the D.C. crime bill, which opponents call soft on crime. Two Independents also voted with Republicans.
GOP lawmakers say the measure would weaken police enforcement, including the use of force. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the resolution in April.
As violent crime rises in cities across the country, now is not the time to throttle the police. Leftists’ began pushing for “reform” during the riots that ensued after a police officer killed George Floyd in 2020.
This is the second such measure in which Democrats voted with Republicans. The Senate voted to overturn the D.C. crime bill in March, and President Biden said he wouldn’t veto it. Sen. Chuck Schumer was among the Democrats who voted with Republicans.
Star Parker wrote in March: “The district is under federal jurisdiction, so Congress can overturn D.C. legislation. But this is the first time in 30 years that it has happened.”
The D.C. Council withdrew the crime biil.
The six Democratic lawmakers who voted with Republicans: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and Sen. Jon Tester.
The two Independents are Sen. Angus King and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema.
But here’s the bad news. From the New York Post (emphasis added):
The White House said in April that President Biden would veto the bill if it reached his desk.
“While President Biden does not support every provision of the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022, he will not support congressional Republicans’ efforts to overturn commonsense police reforms such as: banning chokeholds; limiting use of force and deadly force; improving access to body-worn camera recordings; and requiring officer training on de-escalation and use of force,” an April 17 statement of administration policy promised.
The takeaway is that eight non-Republicans voted with Republicans, which might bode well for other legislation. And Democratic lawmakers who support soft-on-crime measures will have to answer to their constituents at re-election time.
Photo credit: By Tony Webster – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
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A Police Officer Did NOT kill George Floyd!
Floyd caused his own death.