President Donald Trump is considering an executive order to address policing and race, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a Fox News interview Wednesday.
Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle are proposing their own legislation to address the concerns of Black Lives Matter protesters and many others in the wake of George Floyd’s death. McEnany confirmed that both legislation and a presidential executive order are on the table.
“We do believe that we’ll have proactive policy prescriptions, whether that means legislation or an executive order,” she said in the interview.
Kayleigh McEnany (White House, YouTube).
The White House has not indicated what an executive order on race and policing might contain. Trump has been very critical of the recent riots — which are often coinciding with but separate from the peaceful protests. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: State Dept Goes To War With Fired IG, Accuses Him Of Breaking Chain Of Command To Protect Himself From Past Investigation)
Republicans in the Senate are already working on their own police reform legislation in a small team led by South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott.
Scott says Republicans are not considering reforms to qualified immunity for police, one of the central demands coming from many protesters. Instead, the bill would expand data collection for instances of police use of force, increase funding for body camera initiatives, and potentially create consequences for officers not using their body cameras.
Scott confirmed that Senate Republicans are not working in tandem with the White House on the issue.
“We are on a separate track from White House,” Scott told reporters Tuesday. “I have been talking with folks in the White House about the track they’re on as well, certainly there is a way for us all to work together, but we’ve been in discussion with them for several days.”
Democrats are working on a reform bill likely more in line with protester’s calls to defund the police.
The White House may address the executive order further at McEnany’s press conference Wednesday afternoon.