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Floor Speech

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Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, first of all, I thank the Senator from Nevada for coming to the floor to push for passage of these bipartisan bills that she has mentioned.

I also see that Senator Klobuchar is on the floor to seek like legislation that she has worked on in a bipartisan way to protect law enforcement and first responders, and I would also support her efforts.

Law enforcement across the country put their lives on the line every day. We see examples of the dangers they face on the news and in our communities on a daily basis.

This month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported an 830- percent increase in assaults on their officers and agents during the course of their enforcement duties. Agents and officers had rocks and other projectiles thrown at them, causing injury to person and property. These agents and officers have been doxed and had their home addresses, family members' names, and other personal information posted on social media for anyone to see, which has resulted in an increased number of threats and intimidation to these law enforcement personnel and their families.

We had the opportunity to hear firsthand from three Federal law enforcement officers during a Judiciary Committee hearing on cartels last month about the ongoing risk and dangers to law enforcement.

We had Special Agent in Charge Matthew Allen of the Los Angeles field office of the Drug Enforcement Administration testify that his agents are oftentimes surveilled by cartel members and other bad actors. He further testified that he has lost several friends and fellow law enforcement officers as a result of their law enforcement duties.

Just recently, we learned that an off-duty Customs and Border Protection officer was shot in the face in New York City during an attempted robbery by a previously deported illegal alien. Thankfully, the officer is expected to survive.

According to the Fraternal Order of Police, as of June 30 of this year, 166 officers were shot in the line of duty, and 21 of them lost their lives. While these numbers are lower than from previous years, the shooting this weekend is yet another example of the threats and dangers our men and women in blue face every day, both on and off duty.

Earlier this year, Senator Durbin, who is also on the floor with us-- he is the ranking member of the committee I chair--he and I led a resolution honoring 234 officers who made the ultimate sacrifice and are being recognized as line-of-duty deaths. It passed with over 80 cosponsors.

We worked together across the aisle to report these bills that are being discussed here on the floor of the Senate. Those bills were voted out of committee in what we honor as Police Week in the United States. The seven bills are part of the largest Police Week package in over 15 years. The package of seven bills passed the committee with bipartisan support and also by unanimous vote. They provide a good example of the extensive problems facing our law enforcement community. For example, one bill deals with recruitment and retention issues to ensure our law enforcement is well staffed. Other bills deal with protecting law enforcement from the dangers of fentanyl and providing law enforcement with the equipment they need to serve our communities.

Lastly, the bills provide protection to the families of first responders and provide the much needed resources for the mental health of law enforcement.

Mr. President, I would yield back to the Senator from Nevada.

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