For years, Congress and numerous presidents failed to enact critical reforms to the criminal justice system, leaving thousands of men and women serving long sentences for nonviolent crimes, many of which were mandated by the 1994 Clinton crime bill.
Under President Trump
Donald TrumpTrump acknowledges end of presidency after Congress certifies Biden win Congress affirms Biden win after rioters terrorize Capitol Third House lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19 this week MORE’s leadership, the FIRST STEP Act was signed into law in 2018 as the result of a bipartisan effort to increase public safety by helping Americans newly released from prison to successfully integrate back into society. Today, thousands of Black fathers are home with their families because of those transformative efforts.
Today, President Trump is again looking to work across the aisle in a bipartisan manner to increase public safety for all communities, particularly Black Americans, by raising the standards nationwide for law enforcement training on the use of force and on police engagement with the communities they serve.
Through his recent executive order, President Trump predicated grant funding on law enforcement agencies meeting new standards on use-of-force techniques, and his administration is prioritizing training programs for police and social workers when responding to incidents involving the mentally ill, addicted and homeless.
Now we are turning to Congress to make these and other reforms permanent. But congressional Democrats are, sadly, playing politics with police reform. Their reform bill would cripple the ability of law enforcement officers nationwide to effectively do their jobs.
Sen. Tim Scott
Timothy (Tim) Eugene ScottDemocrats win control of Senate after Warnock, Ossoff victories Warnock win puts Democrats within reach of Senate majority Electoral College fight splits GOP as opposition grows to election challenge MORE (R-S.C.) offered Senate Democrats the chance to offer 20 amendments to his reform bill, the JUSTICE Act. But instead of working together, the Democrats refused and walked away.
Even worse, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiCongress affirms Biden win after rioters terrorize Capitol Third House lawmaker tests positive for COVID-19 this week West Virginia legislator livestreams himself joining mob at Capitol: report MORE (D-Calif.) accused Scott, a Black American, and other Senate Republicans of “trying to get away with murder, actually -- the murder of George Floyd.”
These inflammatory slurs are not the mark of a serious person, much less of a leader.
If Democrats truly wanted to do something bipartisan, they would work with Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and craft legislation that everyone can agree on. That is how President Trump successfully led the passage of the historic criminal justice bill in 2018, and it’s how he’s approaching police reforms today.
Since the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, President Trump has brought together families of police victims, law enforcement leaders and others to listen to and discuss the problems facing Black communities and the police departments which serve them. His executive order on police reforms reflects those conversations, and also addresses concerns raised by both sides.
President Trump and congressional Republicans stand ready to work with their Democratic colleagues to enact meaningful reform. And, led by Sen. Scott, they have proposed a bill that is a crucial first step towards reform. Many of the elements it contains are historically bipartisan already, like anti-lynching provisions and reauthorization of funding for police departments. Sen. Scott’s bill is a common-sense proposal with the goal of building trust between two communities – minority families and law enforcement – and, in turn, bringing about lasting reform.
Senate Democrats now have a choice to make. They can continue to obstruct, thus reducing the likelihood that we pass necessary reforms into law. Or they can work with leaders like Sen. Scott and get meaningful bipartisan police reform. Americans want their leaders to unite our country and to do what is right for the American people. While too many on the left have been focused on tearing down statues, President Trump has been working to fix disparities in how law enforcement agencies police minority communities, as well as other historic disparities that have plagued our community for far too long. President Trump recently met with African American leaders in Dallas and offered solutions to deal with those historic disparities, ranging from a lack of school choice to increasing access to capital and minority business development, to better health care access for all historically underserved communities. People want change and opportunity now, and we’re asking congressional Democrats to join us.
This issue is too important to be upended by political games. President Trump took the first step through his executive order, and we’re hoping Congress can join us to make these reforms into law. The JUSTICE Act is the first real hope for bipartisanship. Speaker Pelosi’s House legislation is political posturing and won’t solve the problems affecting minority communities; Sen. Scott’s bill can unite the parties to deliver justice for the families of George Floyd and so many others. Congressional Democrats should support it and work with us to heal our nation.
Ja’Ron Smith, deputy director for the White House Office of American Innovation, is a key adviser to the president on criminal justice, minority and urban issues. He previously worked as an aide to then-Rep. Mike Pence
Michael (Mike) Richard PenceCongress affirms Biden win after rioters terrorize Capitol GOP senators blame Trump after mob overruns Capitol Officials discussing 25th Amendment for Trump following violence at Capitol MORE (R-Ind.) and to Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.).
