Two Democratic lawmakers are defending themselves after they voted against a resolution to honor law enforcement.
On Monday, the House passed HR 363 to support law enforcement for National Police Week, which began on Sunday and runs through Saturday. The resolution simply recognizes the necessity of police officers, their need for resources, and their acts of heroism.
Only two lawmakers voted against the resolution: Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.), members of the infamous “Squad.”
Rep. Cori Bush. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Democrats justified their vote in a statement on Tuesday, accusing Republicans of “gaslight[ing]” the public about law enforcement. And of course, they invoked Jan. 6 and former President Donald Trump.
“[T]his resolution is not a referendum on support for the safety of first responders,” they claimed. “It is a document intended to advance Republicans’ false narrative around supporting law enforcement and gaslight the public about where they stand. Let’s not forget that Republicans are the Party of Insurrection. It was Republican politicians who enabled January 6th by peddling lies about the election.
“Far from supporting law enforcement, Republicans are using their majority to actively target agencies that try to uphold the law and hold them and their cult leader Donald Trump accountable for their criminal behavior,” they added.
The lawmakers went on to suggest Republicans don’t care about public safety, and if they did, then they would pass Democrats’ legislation.
If Republicans cared about public safety, including the safety of law enforcement officers, they wouldn’t be enabling insurrection, passing hypocritical messaging bills, and holding our economy hostage so they can ram through their unpopular agenda that disinvests from our communities. They would be taking up legislation like the People’s Response Act and the many other proposals that our Democratic colleagues have put forward that would invest in communities, prevent violence, and move us closer to genuine public safety for all.
Interestingly, the other members of the “Squad” — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) — voted for the resolution.
Ahead of Monday’s vote, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise called out those lawmakers he believed would vote against the resolution (i.e., the “Squad”),” Politico noted. He accused them of hypocritically supporting “defund the police” while themselves utilizing security personnel.
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