A group of House Republicans on the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security called on Chairwoman Sheila Jackson Lee to hold a hearing to review Democrats’ calls to “defund the police” and the uptick in violence across the U.S.
The letter, first obtained by the Daily Caller, was spearheaded by the Ranking Member on the Subcommittee Arizona Andy Biggs and was signed by all the Republicans on the subcommittee as well as Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jim Jordan. In the letter, the 10 Republicans called on Lee to “immediately” schedule a hearing on calls to “defund the police” and the “corresponding increase” in violence in American cities. The GOP lawmakers also listed statistics from different cities where crime has spiked.
“Radical left-wing proposals to defund police forces threaten public safety and put law enforcement officers at risk. The reckless decisions to defund police forces — and the Biden administration’s apathy towards these actions — have had a real effect on American communities. Homicides have increased in many of the cities that have defunded their police forces. Other violent crimes are also on the rise in many of these cities,” they write in the letter.
“After slashing its police budget by nearly $1 billion, New York City saw a 97 percent rise in shootings and almost a 45 percent increase in homicides. Austin, Texas, saw a 50 percent spike in homicides. Los Angeles, California, experienced an increase of 11.6 percent in homicides,” they added. (RELATED: ‘The Squad’ Pushes To ‘Defund The Police’ While Spending Thousands On Private Security To Protect Themselves)
READ THE LETTER HERE:
(DAILY CALLER OBTAINED) — … by Henry Rodgers
“We ask that you schedule a hearing in the near future to allow Subcommittee Members to hear from law enforcement and civic leaders about how the increase in violent crime attributable to defunding of police. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter,” the lawmakers concluded in the letter. (RELATED: Rep. Cori Bush Wants To ‘Defund The Police’ But Spent Taxpayer Money On Private Security For Herself)
“Violent crime is exploding in cities across America that have defunded the police. These Democrat-run cities have maliciously attacked and smeared our police forces, but can’t understand why our officers are leaving the field in droves and why crime rates continue to sky-rocket. We must defend the thin blue line and restore law and order by holding the Democrats accountable for this destructive agenda,” Biggs told the Daily Caller.
A number of Democrats have continued to push for defunding the police, as a result, police departments are struggling with budget cuts.