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Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Madam President, everybody knows that violent crime is rising in America. Killings of police are at a 20-year high, the world's worst record since 9/11. Homicides, carjacking, and retail crime are all very high. Criminals are pushing people in front of the subways, looting entire trains filled with packages, and stealing so much from stores that the stores can't afford to stay open.

I have already come to this Senate floor many times to describe the horrors of increased attacks on police and the surge in murders. These tragedies cry out for action.

These are the results of campaigns to defund the police. Our streets are lawless because blue cities have pulled the police back. The consequences of depolicing extend far beyond the violence that ``defund the police'' rhetoric inspires. It extends beyond criminals emboldened to commit crimes like murder and armed carjackings.

We have all seen the images of a California train yard littered with opened boxes as far as the eye can see. Train robberies are up by 160 percent in Los Angeles County, and that is just over the past year. The Governor of California compared the scenes to a Third World country. I have seen them, and I agree with the Governor of California.

Organized retail crime is out of control. Criminals rely on the lack of active policing to commit large-scale theft. According to the National Retail Federation, 69 percent of retailers say that they have had an increase in theft in the last year, and 78 percent say more law enforcement would help stop the crimes of retail theft.

Why would people not expect more law enforcement? Everybody knows that government is established for the public safety, among other reasons, but that is foremost.

It still isn't a secret what liberal cities need to do to keep crime out of their cities, out of their railways, out of their subways, out of their streets, and out of their stores. Send police where the crime happens. Tell the police to arrest criminals. Prosecute those criminals. Do not release dangerous criminals out on bail. It is a very simple and effective way to reduce the amount of crime.

Do you know what won't work? Some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle think that the solution is gun control, but here is the issue: Gun control won't stop a criminal from pushing an innocent victim in front of a subway, let alone keep a criminal from obtaining an illegal gun.

The real problem is enforcement by the police. The crime spike began in June 2020 when blue cities nationwide pulled the police off their streets, progressive prosecutors at that time stopped prosecuting, and these blue cities started bail reform policies that released violent criminals into the street. No police on the streets but a lot of criminals on the streets--it is no surprise that crime has risen.

The problems are depolicing, political--progressive prosecution, and ineffective bail policies. Blue city mayors depoliced until some realized that was a bad, bad decision to make.

This liberal attitude toward criminality may now have a light at the end of the tunnel. It seems to be changing for the better.

Just two or three examples: New York City's new mayor, Eric Adams, announced that he would revive a plainclothes anticrime unit to combat the violence, and he is also suggesting better bail policies. A couple of months ago, we heard San Francisco Mayor London Breed declare a state of emergency over crime in her city. And then, maybe a month ago, we saw Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot ask for Federal resources to fight crime.

The Nation's crime spike is the result of less law enforcement. Criminals are feeling bold--very bold--because they know they will go uncaught and, if uncaught, unpunished.

Far-left mayors need to use a simple solution with a very proven record of success. They need to bring police back to our streets and keep the criminals off of our streets.

(Mr. MURPHY assumed the Chair.)

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