President Biden Expands Funding After Republicans Voted Against Funding For The Police
November 18, 2021
| As President Biden signs three major pieces of legislation to support police and federal law enforcement today, we thought it might be a good time to remind folks how congressional Republicans have consistently undermined police funding, voted against funding their own local police departments, and repeatedly disrespected the Capitol Police who protect their lives. President Biden is expanding funding to hire more police officers through a program Donald Trump tried to cut, and Democrats successfully fought to protect and expand. Fox News: “President Biden is expected to sign three pieces of bipartisan legislation into law on Thursday in support of police officers, the law enforcement community, and federal officials, Fox News has learned.” Wall Street Journal: “The [Trump] administration’s 2021 budget, like all its previous budgets, recommended eliminating the Community Relations Services and Community Oriented Policing Services and placing their functions under other parts of the department to ‘improve efficiency.’” NBC News: “The White House touts the $350 billion in state and local funding under Biden’s Covid-19 aid law for helping keep police employed. His budget requests $651 million for the Community Oriented Policing Services program — or COPS — a major increase from last year.” The American Rescue Plan, which every single congressional Republican voted against, provided critical funding for state and local police departments across the country. NBC News: “House Republicans who opposed Covid aid still see funds flow to local police departments” Herald-Tribune: “Bonus payments of $1,000 will go to teachers, principals, first responders and correctional officers in Florida as part of a roughly $100 billion state budget finalized Tuesday and powered by $6.6 billion in federal COVID-19 recovery cash.” Commercial Appeal: “New guidance from the White House means the city of Memphis may use a windfall of federal money for its ongoing fight against violent crime, including for purposes such as hiring new police officers, Mayor Jim Strickland announced Wednesday.” Indy Star: “Noblesville plans to give police officers and firefighters bonuses of $2,000 and other city employees $1,000 with its haul of federal coronavirus economic aid.” NNY360: “Federal COVID-19 funding will pay to rehire Watertown police officers” Let’s not forget how Republicans have disrespected and insulted the police officers who saved their lives on January 6 as the Capitol was under attack. Politico Playbook: “Their testimony alone is a public relations disaster for Republicans. The GOP likes to boast that they ‘back the blue’ and are the party of ‘law and order.’ But in snuffing out the possibility of a nonpartisan commission to probe the Jan. 6 attacks, McCarthy effectively brushed aside pleas from law enforcement to authorize the investigation. Now, after pulling out from the select committee, Republicans (save for Cheney and Kinzinger) will be absent as the officers speak.” Politico: “In the aftermath of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the GOP’s love for law enforcement — a longtime hallmark of the party — is being called into question as some members on the right continue to whitewash the insurrection and even foist blame on the police officers who protected lawmakers that day.” |
| ### |