Mitch McConnell blasts Democrats policing overhaul package

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that the Democrats’ policing overhaul package, as written, is dead in the water in the Senate chamber.

Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, brushed off Democrat criticism that the GOP’s upcoming package is a “watered down” response.

“They want to basically…federalize all of these issues. That’s a non-starter. The House version is going nowhere in the Senate,” he said at his weekly press conference. “It’s basically typical Democratic overreach to try to control everything in Washington.”

“The Democrats have to make a decision. Do they want to block this from coming to the floor or do they want to get on it and try to change it,” he added.

Senate Republicans plan to release their policing package Wednesday morning, even as House Democrats move forward with a mark up of their bill, set for a vote next week.

GOP senators are hopeful to get their bill on the floor by July 4th — which Democrats have been calling for — Mr. McConnell will announce Wednesday morning whether the Senate will take up the National Defense Authorization Act or the policing package next.

The final text of the GOP bill isn’t out yet, but senators said among the provisions will be a provision banning chokeholds, implement a duty to intervene in a case of excessive force, and more funding for new training resources and police body cameras.

The Republicans stressed their approach is on data gathering and transparency but does not entertain the calls from liberal groups to entirely defund or restructure how police departments operate. It also won’t give the U.S. attorney general a wide swath of authority over the entire country’s police forces.

Sen. Joni Ernst, Iowa Republican, said she would like to see included a bipartisan bill she’s been working on that would change police consent laws, prohibiting from officers from having sexual encounters with those in custody.

The Democrats bill mandates anti-bias training, imposes national use-of-force standards and makes it easier to sue officers for misconduct in the line of duty.

It also includes chokehold and “no-knock” warrant bans as well as an anti-lynching provision. It goes further by proposing a national use of force standard, creates a national misconduct registry, and limits qualified immunity.

Senators acknowledged that there were going to be serious points of contention. Though they remained hopeful that the two sides could reach a deal, potentially through a conference — a process in which a committee of lawmakers from each chamber hammers out a deal on opposing legislation each chamber passed.

One of the biggest outstanding issues is qualified immunity, which protects government officials from lawsuits of acting in their official capacity.

It is not included in the GOP package — with several GOP senators saying they wouldn’t support undermining a provision that could undermine officers’ ability to do their job.

However, Sen. Mike Braun, Indiana Republican, said he plans on introducing a bill limiting qualified immunity despite the hesitation in his party and expects he could get bipartisan support on it.

“That means you’re sticking your neck out. I don’t mind doing that,” he said. “As conservatives, if you aren’t for accountability and responsibility and transparency — We talk about that all the time —and that’s really what that’s about.”