[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 120 (Thursday, July 13, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2446-S2447]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                        Criminal Justice System

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, across the country, surges in violent 
crime and deadly drugs have forced businesses to board up and working 
Americans to think twice about the cities where they have chosen to 
raise their families.
  While repeat offenders are increasingly turned loose to run up longer 
rap sheets, victims of senseless violence are usually guilty of nothing 
more than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. For example, just 
days ago, I was reminded of this when a 6-year-old girl in my hometown 
of Louisville was shot by a group of motorcycle thugs while riding in 
the back seat of her car. While she remains in critical but stable 
condition, I join the entire Louisville community in wishing her a full 
recovery.
  Tragedies like this are unfortunately not unique to Kentucky. In our 
Nation's Capital, crime has surged to startling levels. Compared to 
last year, car thefts have shot up 117 percent, robberies are up 53 
percent, and homicides are up 17 percent.
  Just last week, a social studies teacher from Kentucky who was 
visiting Washington for a conference was fatally shot on a university 
campus. The assailant had a previous firearm charge and repeatedly 
violated the terms of his release. This young man from my home State 
was one of 10 people who were shot and killed in Washington during the 
first 5 days of this month, including a college student and an Afghan 
immigrant who had risked his life as an interpreter for the U.S. 
military.
  Too many Americans are mourning loved ones, and in cities across 
their country, when they look for answers to this senseless violence, 
they find radical prosecutors refusing to do their jobs. Liberal 
district attorneys are watering down criminal codes and outright 
refusing to prosecute repeat offenders who ought to be behind bars.
  Earlier this year, the liberal DC Council tried to pass a new 
criminal code that would make it easier for repeat offenders to get 
back on the street. Thankfully, Republicans used

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Congress's jurisdiction over our Nation's Capital and blocked this 
nonsense. But at every level of government, Democrats continue to turn 
a blind eye.
  Keeping our communities safe is a fundamental governing 
responsibility. The American people deserve to feel safe in their own 
streets.