[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 93 (Thursday, May 27, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3548-S3549]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             PUBLIC SAFETY

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, from coast to coast, American 
families are facing an explosion of violent crime on their streets and 
in their neighborhoods. The year 2020 saw homicides skyrocket 
nationwide--the sharpest 1-year increase in decades--and 2021 is 
already shaping up to be even worse.
  Last year, Seattle saw a 61-percent increase in murders citywide. In 
2020, Minneapolis saw homicides hit levels not seen since the 1990s, 
and, so far, 2021 is about doubling last year's pace. Here in 
Washington, DC, 2020 saw homicides hit a 16-year high, and, again, 2021 
is already on an even worse trajectory. The situation is devolving all 
across the country. In my hometown of Louisville, as one report put it: 
``[T]he number of slayings in 2020 dwarf[ed] anything Louisville has 
seen--obliterating the previous record.''

[[Page S3549]]

  Crime and delinquency have many causes. In some ways, the pandemic 
likely contributed, but it is impossible to ignore that these terrible 
trends are coming precisely as so-called ``progressives'' have decided 
it is time to denounce and defund local law enforcement. Seattle, for 
example, cut police funding by 20 percent. Minneapolis defunded cops by 
millions of dollars. The District of Columbia's city council approved 
$15 million in cuts. These boneheaded decisions are the direct result 
of an anti-law enforcement fad that has swept through the political 
left like a wildfire.
  Perhaps just as important as these funding cuts is the wave of 
hostile sentiment that has come with them. Harvard scholars have found 
that, after high-profile incidents reduce the trust that the public and 
politicians put in the police, the cities in question receive less 
active policing and, subsequently, see an increase in crime, including 
homicides.
  In other words, in the wake of terrible incidents like we saw last 
summer, local leaders should look for ways to build bridges and rebuild 
trust between the vast majority of brave and honorable officers and 
their communities.
  Oh, no. Instead, from city councils to the Halls of Congress, many on 
the far left decided to crank the knob all the way up on anti-cop 
rhetoric all across the board:

       Not only do we need to disinvest from police but we need to 
     completely dismantle the Minneapolis Police Department.
       Policing in our country is inherently and intentionally 
     racist . . . No more policing, incarceration, and 
     militarization.

  Incredulous people asked whether this nonsense was ever meant 
seriously.
  Helpfully, one Member of Congress clarified: ``Defunding police means 
defunding police.''
  That is a clarifying comment.
  A small set of politicians may see selfish opportunities for fame or 
fundraising if they defame and defund the police, but American families 
are paying a deadly price.
  Defunding the police isn't just a terrible idea for overall public 
safety; it is also a uniquely awful strategy for racial justice. One 
study recently confirmed: ``Larger police forces save lives, and the 
lives saved are disproportionately Black lives.''
  So, look. I am not sure exactly how the rantings of far-left Twitter 
about crime and policing became official Democratic Party dogma in so 
many places across America. What I do know is that ordinary Americans 
cannot bear much more of this, and that goes double for the most 
vulnerable neighborhoods.

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