Barrasso Slams Democrats' War on Police
Statement
"I come to the floor today to talk about the rising crime in America and specifically in Democrat-run cities.
"This year 12 American cities have already broken records for murder. And the year isn't even over. Every one of those cities is run by Democrats.
"Last summer, Democrat cities adopted a rallying cry, and that cry was "defund the police.'
"Joe Biden said America was systematically racist. He said police funding should be redirected.
"Nancy Pelosi talked about shuffling money around. Kamala Harris, our vice president, said America should reimagine public safety.
"Lots of Democrat cities put those slogans into practice.
"Bill de Blasio, the mayor of New York City, cut New York City's police department by $1 billion.
"The Los Angeles city council voted to cut police funding by $150 million. San Francisco cut $120 million from police over two years.
"Nearly two dozen cities across the country defunded the police. Again, these are all cities run by liberal mayors and administrations.
"As a result, last year America experienced the largest surge in homicide ever recorded. According to the Major City Police Chiefs Association, 63 of America's 66 biggest cities saw at least one category of violent crime go up last year.
"Minneapolis cut police funding and homicide nearly doubled.
"New York City police funding and homicide went in opposite directions. Funding for police went down. Homicide went up by half.
"Last year's historic increases in homicides was evident. This year homicide has gone up even more.
"The number of police killed in the line of duty is also up. Here in Washington, D.C., President Biden has effectively endorsed the defund the police movement.
"He did that by stacking his administration with supporters of defunding the police. The Secretary of Labor of the United States, confirmed by this Senate, cut funding for police when he was mayor of Boston.
"The number three official at the Department of Justice, confirmed by the Democrats in this Senate, testified that she supports, "calls for black lives matter. Activists to decrease police budgets and the scope, role, and responsibility of police in our lives.'
"Joe Biden's Secretary of Treasury called for an economics professor to be fired because the professor said he opposed defunding the police.
"It had nothing to do with what he was teaching. It wasn't because of a problem with his work in the classroom.
"But Janet Yellen said his comments against defunding the police were extremely troubling. She went on to say it would be appropriate for the University of Chicago to review that professor's performance and suitability.
"Well, Janet Yellen is not known for being a crime expert. She is a well-connected, well-known liberal, but the university bowed to Janet Yellen and put the professor under investigation.
"This is Janet Yellen who is confirmed to be Secretary of Treasury under Joe Biden.
"In October Joe Biden was asked if police officers should be fired if they weren't vaccinated. He didn't hesitate. He immediately said "yes, fire them.'
"These are officers who have been putting their lives on the front line every day since day one of the pandemic.
"Joe Biden's mantra for the police, "vaccinate or terminate.'
"This is happening all across America. For example, more than 150 Massachusetts state police have resigned over the vaccine mandate.
"Joe Biden would rather see unvaccinated police sit at home than let them continue doing the job they've done all through the pandemic.
"The last thing we need to do right now is reduce the number of police officers on our streets.
"Last week Democrats in this body gave another promotion to an antipolice liberal. Every Democrat in this Senate voted to confirm Rachael Rollins as the top prosecutor in the state of Massachusetts.
"Why does this matter to anybody outside of Massachusetts? Well, because Rachael Rollins is the face of the rogue prosecutor movement.
"This is the movement led by George Soros and other powerful liberals. They have invested millions of dollars in electing radical prosecutors.
"They've succeeded in major cities. We've seen it in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Philadelphia. And once these prosecutors get into office, they impose radical left-wing policies.
"The result has been chaos and carnage from coast to coast. As the District Attorney in Boston Rachael Rollins announced that she would not prosecute 15 different crimes.
"Laws on the books. She would not prosecute 15 different crimes, including shoplifting, trespassing, and resisting arrest.
"Rachael Rollins is supposed to be a prosecutor. Her job is to enforce the law. Instead she has nullified the law.
"Joe Biden saw this lawlessness, and he was so impressed, he gave her a big promotion. Every single Democrat in this Senate has given her their stamp of approval.
"So has Vice President Harris. Every Republican voted no on this radical nominee so the vice president was needed to come to the Senate to break the tie.
"And there's already talk of Rachael Rollins getting even more promotions in this very radical, extreme, dangerous, and scary Democrat party.
"Mark my words. Rachael Rollins is the first rogue prosecutor given a federal job. She will not be the last.
"With Democrats in charge in Washington, Rachael Rollins' policies are coming to a neighborhood near you.
"So it's worth asking how are these policies working out in liberal big cities. Not well.
"No, San Francisco followed the Rachael Rollins model. They tried legalizing shoplifting. How about that?
"Now San Francisco looks like a city if the dark ages -- from the dark ages.
"Here's how the Associated Press described it last week: "San Francisco residents and visitors scurry past scenes of lawlessness and squaller.'
"In August San Francisco broke city records with 3,700 reports of retail theft. Now there's a mass exit of the retail stores from San Francisco.
"Last year twice as many people in San Francisco died from drug overdoses than from coronavirus.
"Local news reported this week about people leaving their cars unlocked in San Francisco to prevent their windows from getting smashed out.
"Even the Democrat mayor spoke recently about the rein of criminals who are destroying our city. San Francisco is one of the wealthiest cities in the world.
"It is the hometown of the Speaker of the House and is now a homicide haven on the west coast. In just a few years, liberal policies had turned what had been a beautiful city into a war zone.
"Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, admitted just yesterday, "that there is an attitude of lawlessness in our country today.' Then she added, "it springs from', as she said, "I don't know where.'
"Well, Nancy Pelosi should look at her own city. It is painfully obvious. The fact that roars out from liberal city to liberal city is this: the lawlessness comes from the policies of the Democrat party.
"Criminals seek opportunity, and when criminals see that opportunity, they pounce. Look at Los Angeles, this is another city with a rogue prosecutor. In just ten days last month, looters stole $340,000 worth of goods from stores.
"In one case, police arrested 14 of the looters. And then what happened? They were all released. Now they are all walking free.
"Austin, Texas, made some of the largest police funding cuts last year. This year, Austin has seen a 70% increase in murder. It's one of the largest increases in homicide in America.
"In Kamala Harris's hometown of Oakland, the city council voted to defund the police in June.
"Now murder in Oakland, the Vice President's hometown, is up by two-thirds since 2019. Last month a toddler was shot and killed while he slept in the back of his mother's car on the Oakland freeway.
"Even left-wing Oakland has now had enough. The city is now planning to reverse the cuts to police. For the toddler, it's too late. The damage that took that innocent life from that family can't be undone. It can't be repaired. The family will never be reunited.
"It's time for the Democrats to wake up - to wake up before it's too late for so many others.
"Democrats have controlled the Senate now for ten months, yet, they've done nothing to improve law enforcement in America. They've done nothing to reduce crime.
"In fact, Senate Democrats have only tried to reward criminals. Forty-nine Senate Democrats sponsored a bill to give voting rights to felons as soon as they walk out of their jail cells. The American people reject this bill and Democrats' entire agenda.
"Voters are speaking out. Just last month, voters rejected defunding police in the cities of Buffalo, New York, and even in Minneapolis.
"New York City just elected a former police officer as its mayor who used the issue of crime and law and order as a winning issue in the campaign.
"People are tired of what the Democrats are force feeding the American people. The lessons should be screamingly obvious.
"The American people don't want Democrats' soft on crime agenda. Americans want safe communities. They want Democrats and all Americans to stop coddling criminals, to stand for public safety, and to stop this reckless Democrat war on police."
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