Joe Biden has urged state and local governments to use $350 billion in COVID-19 funding from the American Rescue Plan to fight crime by hiring new police officers.
Biden pushed for the increase in police funding during a White House press conference with Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday. The president stressed that money already included in the legislation that he signed into law on March 11 could be used to help reduce gun violence amid the nation's recent surge in violent crimes.
"We're now providing more guidance on how [state and local governments] can use the $350 billion nationally that the American Rescue Plan has available to help reduce crime and address the root causes," Biden said. "For example, cities experiencing an increase in gun violence were able to use the American Rescue Plan dollars to hire police officers needed for community policing and to pay their overtime."
Biden's call to increase police funding underscores his differences with some on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party who called for defunding the police in the wake of last year's mass protests against police brutality and racial injustice. He said that the rise in violent crimes meant that it was "not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement or our communities."
read more:
Replies