As crime surges across the country as a result of less policing, the Biden administration has decided to blame its policy failures on Republicans, with President Joe Biden adviser Cedric Richmond and White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claiming it was Republicans who pushed to “defund the police.”
The claim was originally made by Richmond, and then it was repeated by Psaki when she was asked about it during a press briefing on Monday.
“Something one of the advisors said this weekend — Cedric Richmond — he said, ‘Republicans defunded the police by not supporting the American Rescue Plan.’” Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked. “But how is it that that is an argument to be made when the President never mentioned needing money for police to stop a crime wave when he was selling the American Rescue Plan?”
Psaki replied by arguing that since Republicans did not vote for the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which included $350 billion for state and local governments that could be used to assist local police departments which could potentially prevent police layoffs at those departments, because Republicans wanted to defund the police.
“The President did mention that the American Rescue Plan, they’ll — the state and local funding — something that was supported by the President, a lot of Democrats who supported and voted for the bill — could help ensure local cops were kept on the beat in communities across the country,” Psaki replied. “As you know, it didn’t receive a single Republican vote. That funding has been used to keep cops on the beat.”
“But at the time, that was sold as: These local police departments might have a pandemic-related budget shortfall — not, ‘We need to keep cops on the beat because there’s crime wave,’” Doocy pointed out.
“I think that any local department would argue that keeping cops on the beat to keep communities safe when they had to, because of budget shortfalls, fire police is something that helps them address crime in their local communities,” Psaki said.
“But those are the local communities. The White House’s argument was: The American Rescue Plan is going to be $1,400 checks. It’s going to be vaccines, vaccinators,” Doocy rebutted.
Absolutely shameless. Under questioning from Fox's Peter Doocy, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki argues it's *Republicans* who have been defunding the police and not supporting law enforcement because they didn't vote for Biden's stimulus boondoggle the American Rescue Plan. pic.twitter.com/pIwfFkonu1
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) June 28, 2021
The actual reason Republicans did not vote for the $1.9 trillion bill was that the economy was already recovering, and an additional $1.9 trillion in government spending, which included paying people more to stay unemployed, would just harm the rate of recovery.
In reality, defunding the police has been at the front of Democrats’ policy proposals the past year. President Biden called for defunding the police during his presidential campaign, and Vice President Kamala Harris said she “applauds” Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti for defunding the LAPD.
Democrat-run cities across the country have seen a spike in crime as Democrats have cut police funding. The same day Psaki claimed it was Republicans defunding the police, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong spoke about the 90% increase in homicide after Democrats defunding their police department.
The same day Psaki tells a room full of reporters that it's not her party doing this. Can't make it up. https://t.co/eeGtjKLDhh
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) June 29, 2021
