Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague and friend from Ohio for yielding and for his leadership on this issue. I also want to thank my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Bass), for her work over the years on this issue as well. Mr. Speaker, we stand at a moment in time that is so important in our country's history, a moment when we can actually come together to solve a problem that we have seen that has gone on for a long time, something that has come to light in different ways over years. But George Floyd's death, a death that never should have happened, really did awaken and create a moment in time when we can actually get something done on this issue. I hope that we rise to this moment. I hope that we work together to address the problems that we have seen while making a careful and important distinction not to undermine the important work that police officers do every day, risking their lives to keep us safe. That is really the thing that we have to focus the most on because we know there are bad cops like there are bad people in any profession. But to paint everybody with the same brush is not only unfair, it actually does a disservice to the work that they do in every community on a daily basis that is unheralded. What I would first say is that while the bill that is before us today is a bill that has some components that we support, but some components that we feel would create even more problems, there can be work done to come together.…”