THE FIGHT CONTINUES
Dozens of Black Lives Matter demonstrators returned to the streets of Albuquerque on Wednesday evening, marching from Civic Plaza in Downtown to Old Town. People nationwide continue to protest the death of George Floyd, police misconduct and excessive use of force. The Senate GOP’s policing reform bill stalled.
WASHINGTON — Democrats on Wednesday denied Republicans the votes needed to advance the Senate GOP’s policing reform bill, casting doubt on the future of the effort as thousands continue to protest the death of George Floyd, police misconduct and excessive use of force.
Sixty votes were needed to bring the GOP-backed Justice Act, sponsored by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., up for consideration. The chamber’s 53 Republicans needed support from at least seven Democrats
to proceed.
Democratic Sens. Doug Jones of Alabama and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, voted with Republicans, but the bill stalled with a vote of 55-45.
Democrats have derided the GOP bill, which focuses on data collection and urging departments to change standards for when force is acceptable, as a watered-down version of their own proposal, with Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., saying Wednesday that Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell “wants to show he’s doing something, and get nothing done.”
“So much of the anger in the country … is directed at the lack of accountability for police officers who violate Americans’ rights,” Schumer said. “As far as I can tell, the Republican bill does not even attempt one significant reform … to bring more accountability to police officers who are guilty of misconduct.”
A Minneapolis police officer has been charged with killing Floyd, an unarmed, handcuffed Black man, by kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes. Video of Floyd pleading with the officer has spurred a national demand for police reform and accountability that has Congress racing to pass legislation.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., praised her Democratic colleagues for blocking a bill she said didn’t include “substantive solutions.”
“I want to thank all of our colleagues for their work today, which is … to not take crumbs on the table when there is a hunger that America has for real solutions to a very real problem,”
Harris said.
Republicans have said their bill and the Democrats’ proposal are very similar, and argue Dems are foregoing progress by not approving the GOP bill. Democrats argue the bills aren’t that similar.
McConnell, R-Ky., questioned why Democrats didn’t try to modify the bill rather than halt it.
Schumer and the Senate sponsors of a Democratic bill, Harris and Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said too many changes were needed. They said bipartisan negotiations are needed before a bill comes to the Senate floor.