New bill would cut federal highway funds from cities that lower police budgets
Cities thinking about defunding their police departments might want to think twice after they see the bill Georgia Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R) filed on Monday.
Loeffler’s bill, the Protecting Public Safety and Supporting Law Enforcement Act, would withhold federal highway funding from states and local governments that reduce funding to law enforcement without a clear budgetary need amid the defund the police push.
“We’re seeing the radical idea of defunding the police play out in real-time in places like Minneapolis and Seattle and it is frightening,” Loeffler said in a statement. “While we must address police misconduct, we need to work on solutions that are commonsense reforms and that respect police officers who work tirelessly to maintain order, keep families safe and protect their communities.”
The call to defund the police is led by the group Black Lives Matter and has been endorsed by many elected officials across the country. New York and Los Angeles have already moved to reduce their law enforcement budgets.
Last week, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Fry was pushed out of a protest when he stated he did not support the complete abolition of his city’s police department. Despite the mayor’s remarks, the Minneapolis City Council has pushed forward with a move to dismantle the police force.
Several high-profile Democrats continue to fight over what defunding the police actually means.
The liberal Mayor of Washington, D.C., Muriel Bowser, has repeatedly been called out by Black Lives Matter D.C. for refusing to reduce police funding.
“We support our metropolitan police department. We know they do a wonderful job protecting D.C. streets,” Bowser said. “We work hard every day to make sure we have the type of police and community relationships that will allow us to have safe neighborhoods.”
President Donald Trump has said he is completely against defunding police departments but does support common sense reforms.
“Many Democrats want to Defund and Abolish Police Departments. HOW CRAZY,” Trump tweeted.
Loeffler, who was just appointed to the Senate this year, says the vast majority of officers of every race and gender work tirelessly to keep all Americans safe.
Scroll down to comment!
