Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., has introduced a bill that would withhold federal highway money to states that defund the police.
“We’re seeing the radical idea of defunding the police play out in real-time in places like Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Seattle, Washington, and it is frightening,” she said in a Monday statement to Fox News.
Loeffler's measure follows protests around the country and a push to defund the police after the death of George Floyd, a black man who died when a white officer kneeled on his neck. During another incident, a 27-year-old black man who pulled out a taser on two police officers was shot and killed by police in Atlanta last weekend.
The Protecting Public Safety and Supporting Law Enforcement Act would have the U.S. secretary of transportation to hold back 5% of highway funding from states that keep money from the police department without fully explaining the move.
Los Angeles and other cities have begun cutting funding for police in the next budgets. Minneapolis has gone one step further and promised to replace its police department with a public safety unit that allows community input.
“This reckless and dangerous defund effort will jeopardize public safety, create chaos, and increase crime," Loeffler said. "While we must address police misconduct, we need to work on solutions that are commonsense reforms and that respect police officers who work tirelessly to maintain order, keep families safe, and protect their communities. This legislation provides additional safeguards for police funding to ensure our law enforcement officers continue to have the resources they need to keep all Americans safe."
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