Sen. Kelly Loeffler is introducing a bill that would punish municipalities that cut funding for police departments by withholding federal highway dollars.
“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.
The Georgia Republican’s efforts come amid growing calls to “defund the police” following the death of George Floyd, a black Minneapolis man who died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. National interest in police reform further increased after a 27-year-old black man was fatally shot by police in Atlanta last weekend after pulling out a Taser to two officers.
The Protecting Public Safety and Supporting Law Enforcement Act would require the U.S. secretary of transportation to withhold 5% of highway safety funds from any state that chooses to reduce funding to law enforcement without a clear budgetary explanation. The bill also allows for states to withhold funds from localities if local governments choose to slash police budgets.
Cities such as Los Angeles have already proposed cutting funding for police in upcoming budgets amid unrest related to police brutality and law enforcement’s relationship with black Americans. Minneapolis’s City Council vowed to dismantle its police department and replace it with a new public safety system with 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.”
