Hank Johnson: “The Republican border bill, originally scheduled for this week, contains a provision buried on page 78 that would expand…”

“The Republican border bill, originally scheduled for this week, contains a provision buried on page 78 that would expand the Pentagon's 1033 program. This program transfers billions of dollars of Defense Department equipment to law enforcement agencies without any congressional oversight or community input. The bill adds a border securities activities priority to the program that will quietly funnel military-grade weapons to law enforcement for this new, fully defined priority. It appears some of my colleagues did not learn the tragic lessons of Ferguson, Missouri, last summer as the Nation saw the devastating result of a militarized police force. If this bill is brought back up, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment in order to curb the expansion of this program. ____________________”