Claudia Tenney: “I thank Mr. Johnson so much for holding this very important evening of Special Orders to honor National Police Week. I…”

“I thank Mr. Johnson so much for holding this very important evening of Special Orders to honor National Police Week. I am so honored to be here on behalf of our men and women in blue, who do such a great job supporting us. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to put out a few facts on this that I thought would be interesting to our listeners. There are over 800,000 law enforcement officers across the United States serving and protecting our communities, and I commend them as they serve at great personal risk. These public servants intervene daily in dangerous and life- threatening situations to deescalate tensions, to provide emergency care, to apprehend criminals, to defend the most vulnerable, and to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans. Over the past year, law enforcement officers have faced unprecedented challenges in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising violent crime. In 2020, 264 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty. In my community alone, we have tragically lost friends in law enforcement, over a dozen in just my community who were killed in the line of duty. That is just way too many. In 2021, across the Nation, 49 law enforcement officers have died, making it the deadliest period for law enforcement in decades. Amidst these unparalleled challenges, unfortunately, politicians in Washington and around the country have perpetuated this idea that law enforcement officers are the enemy.…”