On the recordJune 25, 2020
I thank the gentleman for yielding some time to me. Madam Speaker, we consider something very serious today, and that is reformation of policing. And we are, as Federal elected officials, reaching into State and local police agencies. And if this bill were to become law, we are imposing the values of us collectively--because that is the way this works--on those State and local agencies. Madam Speaker, when we had this debate in the Committee on the Judiciary, it was often pointed out by some on my side of the aisle that there was movement afoot to defund, and in some cases, even eliminate police agencies at the local and State level. And that was viewed as a ruse, as a deflection from the issue. But in reality, indeed, this bill itself will have that effect. Madam Speaker, see, on the front side of it, you have a radical group of folks, people who are agitating to actually defund or eliminate police agencies--whether they are affiliated with any of my colleagues, I don't know. We have had some Members of this body suggest that their own police departments are cancerous and should be amputated. We have seen that. And then on the other hand, though, this bill actually is a rear- guard action. So you have a frontal attack on State and local police--eliminate them. Then you have a rear-guard action. That is what this does. It brings power to control local and State police to this body.…
