Back the Blue

Floor Speech

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Mr. GIMENEZ. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

Madam Speaker, the woke left have stood idly by as rabid criminals have embarked on an all-out assault on our police officers. Rather than standing up for the brave men and women of law enforcement--the very ones who put their lives on the line every day to keep our families and communities safe--they have bent over backwards to the most radical fringes of the progressive movement that actively works to defund, disarm, and disband our police departments.

The result? Under Joe Biden's first year as President, police officers have seen a historic spike in violent crime against them.

In 2021 alone, there were 346 officers shot in the line of duty resulting in 63 deaths.

Police officers were victims to 103 ambush-style attacks, which increased 115 percent over the prior year.

The FBI reported a 48.7 increase in 2021 of officers' killings, both on-duty and off-duty, totaling 73 deaths from firearms, vehicles, knives, and other personal weapons. Believe it or not, those numbers represent the highest number of law enforcement officers who were intentionally killed since the terror attacks of September 11.

Last week, House Homeland Security Committee Republicans stood up to demand the Department of Justice open a Federal investigation into these egregious spikes in crime against our police officers.

President Biden, his administration, and the Democrats who maintain a stranglehold on Congress must find the courage to break with the radical liberals who want to defund, disarm, and disband our police and show up with unprecedented support for our officers in blue.

I, for one, am proud to back the blue. Thank you to our officers for all the work and your sacrifices. Know that the Republicans in this Chamber stand with you and have your back.

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