WASHINGTON – Yesterday on the floor, U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) discussed Senate Democrats’ decision to block the Senate from being able to debate or make changes to the JUSTICE Act, police reform legislation introduced by Sens. Scott, Cornyn, and others. Excerpts of Sen. Cornyn’s remarks are below, and video can be found here.
“A couple of weeks ago, the Democratic Leader came to the floor and urged the Majority Leader to bring police reform bills to the floor to be debated and voted on before July the Fourth. And when Senator McConnell did exactly that, what did they do?”
“As soon as they were told that they would actually have a chance to vote on a police reform bill, they changed their tune.”
“This was not a vote to finally pass the JUSTICE Act as-is, without any changes, or amendments. This was simply a vote to begin debating a bill. You can’t finish a bill, you can’t actually vote on legislation, if you’re unwilling to start.”
“This ‘my way or the highway’ legislative strategy we have come to expect from our colleagues is absolutely shameful, and it’s counterproductive.”
“Even though there were many of our Democratic colleagues who decried the cruel and tragic death of George Floyd, when it came time to step up and actually do something about it, they absolutely refused.”
“For weeks, we have watched people of all races, and cultures, and backgrounds marching and demanding action. They want to see greater transparency and accountability. They want better training and education for our police officers. And they want to know that at the end of the day, the color of your skin won’t determine the nature and outcome of an interaction with a police officer.”
“Let the record reflect that this morning, the Senate had the opportunity to take the first step toward passing reforms that would begin to heal the divisions and distrust between law enforcement and the communities they serve, and our Democratic colleagues unequivocally and shamelessly stood in the way.”