Justice in Policing Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, there are millions of people in America marching in the streets to reform our police practices, to ask for equality, to ask for racial justice.

We have seen in the savage death of George Floyd, we have seen with Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, and in so many other instances that our police departments need real reform.

There is a demand of Americans that we act--and act soon. The resolution my colleague offers is rhetoric, not action, and the great worry so many Americans have is that so many on the other side will feel rhetoric and then try to let this go away.

We demand action, and we demand it now--real action, not rhetoric--to reform our police departments in a fair and comprehensive way. That is what the Justice in Policing Act does. We need it on the floor now, as soon as the House passes it.

Very few of us believe that Leader McConnell will put it on the floor, but we want him to. We demand he does.

Again, the resolution by my friend will do nothing--nothing. It is rhetoric. We demand action.

And so in a minute, I will be asking unanimous consent that upon receipt of H.R. 7120, the Justice in Policing Act of 2020, the pending business here in the Senate, after it passes the House, be that bill, so that we are forced and required to debate it.

And at that point, my friend from Arkansas or anyone else can do whatever they want, but not in an empty field of rhetoric and no action, when Americans demand action.

We need justice. We need racial equality.

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I have a resolution at the desk.

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, as the gentleman heard, we need action, not rhetoric. That is the objection because we believe that too many on that side of the aisle will not want to act and, therefore, for them to be content with rhetoric will not serve any good purpose.

We can debate all of these issues when we have a real bill on the floor and we are moving forward to bring justice. My resolution does just that. It says very simply--very simply--that the minute the House passes the Justice in Policing Act, the pending business here in the Senate is that act, so we can debate it and we can hopefully pass it. Some may choose to modify it in whatever way they choose, but rhetoric is no substitute for action when the American people, overwhelmingly, in the streets, peacefully, proudly, strongly demand action. 7120, the Justice in Policing Act, the pending business upon receipt from the House. I further ask that the resolution be agreed to and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no intervening action or debate.

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Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, the gentleman from Arkansas has made my point. He talks about business as usual. This is not business as usual. The typical rhetoric, the kind of avoiding action which has been so, so endemic in this Republican Party is showing itself again. If they wanted to act, they could have supported our resolution. They are trying to avoid it. We will not let that happen.

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