Biden vowed to fund the police, receiving bipartisan applause.
While speaking about his plan to tackle crime and gun violence, Biden said U.S. leaders should not “abandon our streets or choose between safety and equal justice.”
The answer, Biden said, “is not to defund the police.”
“The answer is to fund the police,” Biden said, as a bipartisan crowd — including House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — rose to give a standing ovation. “Fund them! Fund them with resources and training resources and training they need to protect our community.”
Biden said lawmakers have to “come together and protect our communities, restore trust and hold law enforcement accountable.”
“That’s why the Justice Department has required body cameras, banned choke calls and restricted no-knock warrants for its officers,” Biden said. “That’s why the American Rescue … provided $350 billion dollars that cities, states and counties can use to hire more police, invest in more proven strategies like community violence interruption, trusted messengers, breaking the cycle of violence and trauma, giving young people some hope.”
He encouraged Congress to pass his budget to “keep our neighborhoods safe.”
“We’ll do everything in my power to crack down on gun trafficking of ghost guns that you can buy and line assemble at home,” Biden said. “I ask Congress to pass proven measures to reduce gun violence, pass universal background checks. Why should anyone on a terrorist list be able to purchase a weapon? Why?”
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