(GoRealNewsNow.com) – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a GOP-sponsored resolution denouncing any calls to “defund the police,” with dozens of Democrats joining their Republican colleagues to support it.
The document against defunding the police was passed with 268 votes in favor and 156 votes against, The New York Post reports.
206 Republicans and 62 Democrats backed it, while 10 Republicans and 146 Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, voted against it. Five members of each party skipped the vote.
“[The resolution] recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of local law enforcement who keep our communities safe… [and] condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police,” the document reads.
It also denounces “looting, rioting and violence in major cities” during anti-police riots in the summer of 2020, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May of that year.
The measure also slams “leftist activists and progressive politicians” for having “called for the defunding and dismantling of local police departments across the country and actively encouraged resentment toward local law enforcement.”
“How dare these extreme MAGA Republicans try to lecture anyone about standing with law enforcement,” Jeffries said, condemning the pro-police declaration during a press conference.
“Marjorie Taylor Greene and others — they want to defund the FBI. The extreme MAGA Republicans want to defund the Department of Justice,” the House Minority Leader claimed.
The Post points out that the document is “largely formal.” It is not binding law and will not need the president’s signature even though it requires the approval of both Congress chambers.
Senate Majority Leader, Democrat Chuck Schumer, hasn’t said whether he would put it up for a floor vote.
The resolution was sponsored by GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who represents New York’s 4th congressional district on Long Island and was a cop with the NYPD for 15 years.
He included in the document an earlier proposal codifying a federal “bill of rights” for police officers.
“I am proud that my Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights proposal was passed in the House of Representatives in a bipartisan fashion, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to similarly unite and approve the measure in their chamber,” 41-year-old D’Esposito declared in a statement.
“As a retired NYPD Detective, I have seen firsthand the difficulties of policing, and this legislative package is a major step forward in providing law enforcement officers with greater safeguards as they work tirelessly to protect the public,” the Republican representative elaborated.
He unveiled his officer’s bill of rights in April, blasting “far-left progressives” for putting minority communities at risk with the defunding of police.
In November, the freshman lawmaker flipped a Democrat seat by four percentage points after campaigning on a platform to “stop the defund the police movement and keep Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Congressional Democrats from ending cash bail.”
New York City saw a 23% spike in major crimes last year.
