Breaking News
GOP Proposals Seek to Curb Police Brutality
The radical left has its sights set on defunding local police forces. However, congressional Republicans are working to come up with more practical solutions to combatting police brutality.
The recent killing of George Floyd has raised serious concerns about police brutality in the U.S. With this, GOP lawmakers aren’t backing down from the challenge. A group of Senate Republicans led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) is exploring new policies to combat the problem. Sen. Scott says he’s focused on addressing the issues without dividing the country further.
“It’s important for this nation to take a very powerful stand and position that says we’re listening, we’re hearing and we’re reacting,” Scott told reporters earlier this week. “We’re responding in a positive, constructive manner that doesn’t create a binary choice between supporting law enforcement and supporting communities of color, and I think you can actually do both.”
Sen. Scott is working on a plan that includes practical changes to strengthen police oversight and increase accountability. The plan calls for collecting more data in instances when police use force. It also calls for increased use of body cameras and mandatory de-escalation training. The group is also exploring other measures, and Scott says he hopes to release the complete package by the end of the week.
The White House Weighs In
@WhiteHouse @PressSec @GOP See, even people in Syria understand what @realDonaldTrump does not: racism, abuse of power, and police brutality is wrong. The people of America stand with George Floyd. https://t.co/9sYFqVjzE2
— Billie Stewart (@bstewart0310) June 4, 2020
The White House is also weighing in on the GOP efforts to address police brutality. Sen. Scott met with President Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows and other White House officials on Tuesday to discuss the initiative. After the meeting, Meadows told reporters that the administration is eager to tackle the issues. “We’re hopeful that we can address the issue in a real way,” he said.
Sen. Scott is the only African American senator in the Republican Party. His colleagues believe he is the best person to lead the party’s legislative response. “None of us have had the experience of being an African American in this country and dealing with this discrimination, which persists here,” McConnell said on Tuesday. “The best way for the Senate Republicans to go forward on this is to listen to one of our own, who’s had these experiences.”
Much of the mainstream media coverage surrounding the recent George Floyd protests have highlighted radical efforts to defund local police departments, but survey data shows that most Americans don’t support reductions of police forces. A study from the CATO Institute found only 16% of Americans support cutting funding for police departments. However, the study also found that the majority of respondents supported de-escalation training and the use of police body cameras. It seems that Republican lawmakers have zeroed in on these types of common-sense reforms.
Working Together
House Republicans are also drafting police reform legislation under the leadership of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). The House GOP plan is expected to focus on providing additional training for police officers, incentivizing local departments to provide better data on use-of-force incidents, and implementing measures to prevent abusive officers from finding jobs at other departments.
Both sides of the aisle are willing to work together to pass police reform legislation. Therefore, it seems likely that Congress will pass something eventually. Democrats have drafted their own police reform legislation which includes more drastic measures to curb police power. Meanwhile, some Republicans have expressed support for portions of the bill. Republicans and Democrats are willing to work together on this particular issue, but they’ll have to find some common ground.
Mainstream media coverage seems to be obsessed with the idea of defunding local police forces. However, the idea doesn’t seem to be gaining much ground outside of a select group of radical progressives. Millions of Americans don’t support reductions in police forces, so they can rest a little easier knowing their elected representatives are seeking more practical solutions to curbing police brutality. Hopefully, Congress can work together to develop legislation that curbs overzealous policing without undermining the honorable officers who work so hard to protect us.
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