On the recordJuly 21, 2020
Senators Murkowski, Harris, Paul, and I are offering a bipartisan amendment that proposes reasonable, commonsense reforms to the 1033 Program. Groups on the left and the right support it, including the NAACP, the National Urban League, OurStreets, FreedomWorks, Concerned Veterans for America, the American Conservative Union, Campaign for Liberty, Americans for Tax Reform, and the Faith and Freedom Coalition. People on the left and the right agree that it is time to start to demilitarize the police. Our amendment will permanently prohibit the transfer of lethal military weapons to police departments. This includes heavy ammunition, bayonets, grenade launchers, explosives, stripped-down tanks, tear gas, and weaponized drones, among other things. Now, think about that list-- weaponized drones and bayonets. Is anybody under the impression that a police department needs a weaponized drone or a bayonet? Our amendment also ensures the police departments can still get access to the equipment that actually helps them to protect the public under the 1033 Program, like first-aid kits, cold-weather gear, flash lights, and high-water vehicles to respond to flood disasters. The last month has made clear that weapons of war don't belong in police departments. Weapons of war have no place in police departments.…
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