Political Quotes

“Mr. President, yesterday on ABC's ``This Week,'' Senator Durbin asked Senator Booker and me to come back to the table and start talking about policing in America. I never left the table, but it was Senator Durbin who filibustered my JUSTICE Act. It was Senator Durbin who called the effort to make deescalation training more available a ``token'' piece of legislation. It was indeed the Senator from Illinois who said that aspects of my JUSTICE Act which talked about the importance of the duty to intervene was a ``token'' piece of legislation. In that legislation we had more resources for more training because we want only the best wearing the badge in every location, in every municipality, in every county, and in every State in this great Nation. But politics too often gets in the way in doing what every American knows is common sense, and here we find ourselves, again, having this same conversation with no action having happened so far. I don't speak on this floor very often, but this is my 10th speech on policing in America in 8 years--the 10th time I have asked for something that will make our officers better and safer and make our communities better and safer. It is another time I have asked for more resources for recruitment so that we can have only the best wearing the badge, but this legislative body--the greatest deliberative body in the world-- didn't act.…”