On the recordMay 15, 2024
D.C. is the modern-day Rome, a bastion of freedom for the world to see, and the front door of our great Nation. In my few short years serving the Fourth District of South Carolina in Congress, I have watched a once proud city succumb to violent crime, vagrancy, and fall into lawlessness. There are many factors at play here, but the bottom line is this: I want to, in good faith, tell parents from my district that it is safe for the kids to come visit the Nation's Capital on their school trip. Right now, I can't do that. I actually do the exact opposite when people come to my office. I tell them that D.C. is not safe; they should take Ubers. I have had time and time again where I have had people tell me that they have had serious issues. Just, I guess it was, a month ago, my commanding officer in the Air Force was staying in the Navy Yard. I told him not to walk to dinner. He did. I called him at 6:30 in the morning, and I said: I bet you walked to dinner. He said: You are right. I am about to go for a run. I said: Well, you can't because there is an active shooter outside your building. That was a month ago. All this after years of vilifying and defunding the police, the District's violent crime and property theft have never been more blatant. D.C. criminals have never acted so brazenly and with more perceived impunity than I have witnessed in my years in Washington.…
Source
govinfo.gov




