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Floor Speech

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Mrs. FISCHER. Mr. President, I rise today to voice my concern about attempts to undermine American institutions.

There is a difference between constructive efforts to ensure public institutions are accountable and trying to cut down these foundational institutions at their core.

Recently, our country commemorated National Police Week, and it was an opportunity to show our gratitude and appreciation to the men and women who put their lives on the line to keep our people and our communities safe. Yet we continue to see those on the left trying to villainize all law enforcement in this country.

President Biden and Speaker Pelosi, scared about their party's dropping poll numbers, can keep trying to muffle their colleagues' destructive comments, but what the Democrats have already said has harmed our Nation's law enforcement.

We heard ``defund the police'' from many--too many--Democratic elected officials.

During a CNN interview in June 2021, a Massachusetts Congresswoman said:

I support a radical re-imagining of community safety and public safety, which means reallocating and not further investing in a carceral state.

A New York Congresswoman has called for the Federal Government to apply pressure to disrupt the system in reference to police departments.

Others have said time and time again that we must ``completely re- imagine what policing looks like in our country.''

What affect is this antipolice rhetoric having on those who swear to serve and protect? Not surprisingly, we are seeing a drain on law enforcement agencies. Numbers of law enforcement officers rose from 2014 to 2020; however, over the past 2 years, retirements and resignations are climbing while recruitment numbers are down. Many of our law enforcement agencies are receiving far fewer applications.

This is something that I directly discussed with Sergeant Tony Conner, the president of the Omaha Police Officer's Association, when we met recently. Application numbers for some Nebraska law enforcement agencies are down 75 percent or more compared to just a few years ago.

Contributing to these challenges, police officers' jobs have also become increasingly dangerous. Last year, we saw surges in violence and aggression towards officers. Three hundred and forty-six police officers were shot in the line of duty, and 130 of them were targeted and shot in ambush-style attacks. In a recent CBS ``60 Minutes'' interview, FBI Director Christopher Wray said there had been a 59- percent increase in the murders of police officers, with 73--73-- officers killed in 2021. That is a rate of about one officer killed every 5 days.

Without a doubt, Democrats' antipolice rhetoric has diminished morale and eroded public trust in law enforcement. Maybe that was the goal.

But dwindling application numbers to join the force also are contributing to rising crime all across this country. A report by the Council on Criminal Justice found that the national violent crime rate increased 44 percent from 2019 to 2021.

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial discussed efforts to address rising crime in one of our Nation's cities--Seattle. According to the editorial, Seattle city attorney Ann Davison's office found that 118 individuals were responsible for more than 2,400 crimes in Seattle over the past 5 years. Yet, her efforts to hold repeat offenders accountable are being stymied by some.

Because of a 2019 agreement signed by Davison's predecessor, certain classes of misdemeanors in that community go to the community court, and this court releases the accused after referring them to certain support services.

The editorial states:

Seattle criminals get four tries in the Community Court before they flunk out. Each can encompass multiple charges. Repeat offenders see the lack of consequences as an invitation to commit more crimes.

Davison is currently trying to renegotiate that deeply flawed 2019 agreement, but despite the rise in crime in Seattle, these negotiations are at an impasse.

Problems like these aren't confined to the Emerald City. In L.A., Minneapolis, Chicago, Washington, DC, and other cities, liberal prosecutors often fail to hold violent criminals accountable.

The impact on public safety is clear. CNN reports the following about the increase in carjackings: In New York City, the number of carjackings has quadrupled in the last 4 years. In Chicago, more than 1,800 carjackings were reported in 2021. Here in the Nation's Capitol, Metropolitan Police confirmed that carjackings have tripled since 2019.

The administration's efforts to address the rise in this violent crime are weak. I am supporting a resolution led by the senior Senator from Louisiana that actually gets at what we should be doing. It demands that the President work with Congress on a comprehensive strategy that encourages the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, as well as State and local law enforcement officers to counter the rise in violent crime by reinforcing strong criminal justice policies. The Senate should pass this.

Our law enforcement officers who wear the badge deserve our gratitude and our support. The sacrifices they make and the sacrifices their families make, keep us safe. We stand with our men and women in blue.

Vote on Leaf Nomination

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