Jim Inhofe: “I support strong oversight of the 1033 Program, and I understand the intent behind my colleague's amendment. We want to…”

“I support strong oversight of the 1033 Program, and I understand the intent behind my colleague's amendment. We want to make sure that the wrong kind of equipment doesn't get into the hands of people who cannot properly use it, so we have actually put those modifications into an amendment that will be voted on--the Inhofe amendment--right after the Schatz amendment, in another 30 minutes from now. We are offering an alternative to the Schatz amendment. It would place a more narrow limitation on the transfer of Department of Defense equipment, including weapons that cannot be used by State and local enforcement. We are talking about weapons such as weaponized tracking vehicles, drones, and lethal grenades. They are not being used anyway, so let's put them on a list so that they can't be used. That should satisfy a lot of people's concerns. It also makes sure that those who receive this equipment get necessary training on how to protect citizens' constitutional rights and enhanced training on deescalation techniques. Defunding and deequipping our law enforcement agencies simply will not fix anything. Making sure they have the right equipment and right training will. So I would request that my colleagues vote no on the Schatz amendment and recognize the value of this program, and vote yes on my amendment putting new safeguards into the 1033 Program.…”