Congressman Robert Aderholt, R-Alabama, updated his constituents on two major pieces of legislation that were before the House of Representatives: police reform and D.C. statehood. Aderholt opposed both pieces of legislation. He said that the Democratic police reform bill was “reactionary” and that D.C. statehood “is a joke.”
“As many businesses reopen, one group that has been delayed far too long from returning to work has been Congress,” Aderholt said. “Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leadership have done everything they can to delay Representatives from actually representing our constituents. This week, finally, we were able to do our jobs in the halls of Congress for the first time in a long time.”
“This week, Congress voted on two pieces of legislation,” Aderholt said. “The first was about police reform, which has been an issue at the forefront of political debate for the past few weeks. This is a serious issue that requires thoughtful solutions, and unfortunately some Democrats have offered a reactionary solution instead of one that will address the problems directly. I do not think that defunding the police will solve any problems, I believe it would actually make matters much worse. What our country needs is a better training for police officers, a ban on the use of chokeholds, and diligent and public record systems that can give us hard data on police misconduct. That is exactly why I co-sponsored the Justice Act, which is a bill that will make a positive impact on law enforcement and the American people. I am proud to support this bill and I am hopeful that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle will support it too.”
Congressman Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, also opposed the legislation.
“I opposed this bill because it would result in more crime and fewer people willing to serve in law enforcement.,” Palmer said. “The Democrat bill lowers the standard for mens rea and virtually eliminates qualified immunity for officers, meaning that an officer could potentially go to prison for breaking the law unintentionally. Few people want to serve in a job in which they are attacked, underpaid, and overworked.”
“The second piece of legislation that Congress voted on this week was regarding D.C. statehood,” Aderholt continued. “To be clear, this bill is a joke. D.C. statehood is an absurd notion that goes directly against the system of government our Founding Fathers created. They intentionally did not grant D.C. statehood because they knew that a “state” that had the nation’s federal government within its borders would create a massive conflict of interest, and having the same rights as other states would only encourage corruption, centralize power, and destabilize the equality of individual states in Congress. This vote was an easy No for me, and it was clear that you all felt the same.”
Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, also opposed D.C. statehood,
“I will NEVER vote to give Washington, D.C. separate statehood status,” Brooks said. “Washington, D.C. is a CITY, not a state. Its population is roughly one-seventh of Alabama. To add perspective, giving D.C. statehood is the political equivalent of giving Jefferson County, Alabama or the Tennessee Valley separate statehood. That is nuts.”
