[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 83 (Monday, May 16, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2522-S2523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 636--URGING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGY TO COUNTER 
           THE RISE IN VIOLENT CRIME ACROSS THE UNITED STATES

  Mr. CASSIDY (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Barrasso, Mrs. Blackburn, 
Mr. Boozman, Mr. Braun, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Cotton, Mr. 
Cramer, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Daines, Ms. Ernst, Mrs. Fischer, Mr. 
Hagerty, Mr. Hoeven, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Johnson, Mr. 
Kennedy, Mr. Lankford, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Portman, Mr. 
Risch, Mr. Romney, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Sasse, Mr. Scott of 
Florida, Mr. Scott of South Carolina, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Tillis, Mr. 
Wicker, and Mr. Young) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 636

       Whereas rising crime, especially violent crime, in the 
     United States poses a threat to the national interest, as 
     well as to the safety and security of individuals, 
     communities, businesses, law enforcement officers, and the 
     rule of law;
       Whereas, for the purposes of the Uniform Crime Reporting 
     Program of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, violent 
     crimes consist of offenses that involve force or the threat 
     of force, namely--
       (1) murder and non-negligent manslaughter;
       (2) forcible rape;
       (3) robbery; and
       (4) aggravated assault;
       Whereas violent crimes are occurring every day in major 
     cities across the United States in part due to progressive 
     prosecutors declining to charge violent offenders and certain 
     bail reform policies allowing dangerous criminals back into 
     society;
       Whereas released offenders go on to commit more violent 
     crimes and inflict more terror and death on other individuals 
     in the United States;
       Whereas rising violent crime destroys families and should 
     be combated by criminal justice systems that prosecute the 
     offenders as offenders, and not as victims;
       Whereas the murder rate in the United States rose 30 
     percent between 2019 and 2020, the largest single-year 
     increase in more than a century;
       Whereas there was a 59 percent increase in murders of 
     police officers in 2021;
       Whereas, as of April 1, 2022, 101 police officers had been 
     shot this year, 17 of whom were killed by gunfire;
       Whereas at least 16 cities in the United States set murder 
     records in 2021;
       Whereas organized retail crime threats in 2020 cost 
     retailers an average of $720,000 for every $1,000,000,000 in 
     sales, and 69 percent of retailers surveyed in 2021 had seen 
     an increase in organized retail crime in 2021;
       Whereas organized retail crime threatens the safety of 
     retail workers as organized crime groups, gangs, and 
     individuals use weapons other than guns, such as mace 
     chemical spray and Taser stun guns, to rob and assault hard-
     working retail employees;
       Whereas rising violent crime in the United States can be 
     directly correlated to a surge in illegal immigration at the 
     southern border of the United States and a surge in the sale, 
     distribution, and consumption of illegal drugs;
       Whereas, in December 2021, 178,840 illegal immigrants were 
     apprehended attempting to cross the United States-Mexico 
     border, the highest total for December in the history of the 
     Department of Homeland Security, and a 142 percent increase 
     from December 2020;
       Whereas more than 2,500,000 illegal immigrants have been 
     caught attempting to cross the United States-Mexico border 
     since January 2021, with more apprehended in the 3-month 
     period from November 2021 through January 2022 than in all of 
     fiscal year 2020;
       Whereas 461 pounds of fentanyl were seized at the southern 
     border in December 2021 alone, enough to kill more than 30 
     percent of the United States population;
       Whereas drug cartels have overburdened Border Patrol 
     resources by surging illegal immigrants into strategic 
     locations so that the cartels can traffic narcotics and other 
     contraband into the United States undetected;
       Whereas violent crimes related to illegal immigration and 
     the illegal drug trade must stop for the sake of the 
     sovereignty of the United States and the safety of the people 
     of the United States;
       Whereas, with overdose deaths at an all-time high, every 
     State is a border State, as the flow of illegal drugs from 
     the United States-Mexico border puts all States at risk 
     regardless of proximity to the border;
       Whereas securing the southern border and ensuring the 
     safety of citizens of the United States is one of the most 
     important responsibilities of the Federal Government;
       Whereas the current Administration's alleged violent crime 
     reduction strategy is actually a gun control strategy and 
     wrongly puts lawful gun owners and dealers at the center of 
     enforcement efforts instead of focusing on the criminals 
     perpetuating violence, insecurity, and fear across the United 
     States;
       Whereas the same gun violence reduction strategy unfairly 
     puts the blame for gun violence in major, Democrat-run cities 
     and

[[Page S2523]]

     States on neighboring States with lower crime rates; and
       Whereas violent crimes can only be combated if the 
     Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, 
     other law enforcement agencies, and the private sector work 
     together: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that the 
     President should work with Congress to develop and execute a 
     strategy, drawing on the multiple instruments of power and 
     resources of the United States--
       (1) to counter the rise in violent crime across the country 
     by reinforcing strong criminal justice policies, by laying 
     blame on the perpetrators of violent acts, and by securing 
     the southern border; and
       (2) to coordinate with Federal, State, and local agencies 
     and authorities to--
       (A) implement the strategy; and
       (B) exhort all those agencies and authorities to strengthen 
     their approaches to combat the violent crime epidemic within 
     the country.

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