Senate Democrats overnight appeared to have realized defunding police departments in the aftermath of last year's riots and amid this year's crime wave is not a good thing after voting in favor of amendments for the fiscal year 2022 budget resolution.
In a vote of 99-0, the Senate voted in favor of Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-AL) amendment "that would reduce or eliminate federal funding to local governments that defund law enforcement departments."
All Senate Democrats Pounce at Chance to Distance Themselves from ‘Defund Police’ Rhetoric pic.twitter.com/C3MarStn9b
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) August 11, 2021
"If local leaders in Minneapolis or Portland are so beholden to the radical Left that they cut financial support for their law enforcement, there is no reason federal taxpayers in Alabama or any other state should have to pick up the tab," Tuberville said in a statement. "My amendment is simple: if a city council believes the 'woke' thing to do is to cancel the police department, then they shouldn’t expect the federal government to bail them out."
It was not the only pro-police amendment the Senate passed last night. Sen. Josh Hawley's (R-MO) amendment that would seek to hire 100,000 more police officers across the country to deal with the rise in violent crime passed with only one Democrat voting against it.
All but one Senate Democrat voted tonight for my amendment for 100,000 NEW cops on the street - so I’m inviting each of them to become cosponsors of my legislation. Here’s an opportunity for Dems to acknowledge they’ve been wrong the whole last year. We need MORE police funding pic.twitter.com/3uCW5z7W7Y
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) August 11, 2021
While the votes are non-binding it is telling so many Democrats in the Senate would put their names behind such measures, given the fact many high-profile and outspoken Democrats, like Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), have called for the defunding of police departments.
