House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Tuesday President Trump’s executive order on changes to policing doesn’t go nearly far enough.
“The President’s weak Executive Order falls sadly and seriously short of what is required to combat the epidemic of racial injustice and police brutality that is murdering hundreds of Black Americans,” the California Democrat said in a statement.
Mrs. Pelosi said the president’s order “lacks meaningful, mandatory accountability measures to end misconduct.”
“During this moment of national anguish, we must insist on bold change, not meekly surrender to the bare minimum,” she said.
Mrs. Pelosi instead touted the Democrats’ Justice in Policing act, which is slated for a markup in committee Wednesday, the same day the Senate GOP will release their own plan.
Mr. Trump’s order, signed earlier Tuesday afternoon, encourages police departments to adopt best practices in de-escalating confrontations with suspects, establishes a system for sharing information to track officers who have repeated complaints against them for excessive force, and creates federal incentives for police departments to deploy social workers on issues such as mental health and addiction.
It also includes a chokehold ban, with the exception of defending an officer’s life, which garnered praise from Senate Republicans.
The national debate over police reform was spurred by the May 25 death of George Floyd, a black man who died while in police custody in Minneapolis. His death sparked weeks of worldwide demonstrations against racism and police brutality.
• Dave Boyer contributed to this story.
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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