U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks Wednesday on the Senate floor regarding violent crime:
“In cities across America, soft-on-crime policies are making the tough job of law enforcement even tougher.
“Earlier this month, President Biden declared that, ‘Americans are safer from violent crime today than a year ago.’ But even a quick look around our nation’s capital shows that crime in many American cities is still unacceptably high.
“As of this past week, Washington, D.C. has already seen 63 homicides and more than 1700 car thefts in 2024.
“Among these crimes was the deadly shooting of a three-year-old girl who was hit by a stray bullet in a passing car. The child, who was described as ‘cheerful and chatty’ was just one of the youngest in a long list of this crime wave’s innocent victims.
“Last year, Washington saw homicides rise 35%. The city’s murder rate reached its highest level in a quarter century. And less than halfway through 2024, cities across the country are still grappling with familiar problems.
“In Los Angeles, home break-ins are rising, and residents report that police are complaining that their hands are tied.
“In Chicago, police reports show that crime has increased 69% since 2021.
“In Philadelphia, the effort to fire a soft-on-crime district attorney has gone all the way to the state supreme court.
“Surely President Biden isn’t declaring victory over the lawlessness threatening American communities. Surely the fact that violent crime is hovering beneath breathtaking highs isn’t a cause for celebration.
“As the head of one Washington non-profit focused on preventing gun crimes put it, ‘I know some of the repercussions that can come from taking a victory lap too soon.’
“Then again, it’s not surprising that from the White House to city halls across the country, Democrat leaders are downplaying concerns about violent crime. If they looked this problem in the face, they’d have to admit that their own policies are to blame.
“It shouldn’t have to be this way. The American people deserve safe streets. And law enforcement deserves elected leaders who back the Blue.”
