Leader Schumer Floor Remarks After Convening An All-Senators Briefing On Increased Security Following The Tragic Shooting Of Two Minnesota Lawmakers, Urging The President To Condemn Violent, Aggressive Language Against Political Opponents
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on the all-Senators briefing regarding changes to member Security following the deadly shootings in Minnesota and called on the President, as well as members of both political parties, to condemn hatred and violent, aggressive language against political opponents. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
First, about safety in the Capitol and our meeting today that Leader Thune and I called.
I'd like to say that the Capitol Police have always been the silent heroes behind the scenes, keeping members safe. That's no secret. The country saw that for themselves on January 6th and in the footage after. And they're doing a good job.
We had a very good meeting where members brought up their concerns and efforts. Strong efforts are going to be made to answer those concerns, with expanded activity by the Capitol Police.
But after the awful situation this weekend, there's real concern – not just here in the Capitol but with folks across the country – about the safety of elected officials. These violent acts are an attack, not just on the individuals who were targeted, but on our democracy itself.
Public servants should never have to fear for their lives simply for doing their job. There should not be an attempt to intimidate public servants not to do their job or not to take their job.
So, we need to take immediate steps to ensure the safety of members. That includes sending additional funding and resources to the Capitol Police, and there was agreement today in the Senate among Democrats and Republicans that we ought to be spending some more dollars here to protect the Capitol, the senators, and their staffs.
But it's amazing – instead, the Trump administration is doing the exact opposite. USA Today reported that as lone actor attacks are to the rise, Donald Trump had cut the program called aimed at spotting them.
This program is aimed to spot lone actor violence, violent domestic extremists, exactly like what happened in Minnesota. But the day before the violent political attack in Minnesota occurred, the last top officials at a program that aims to spot the so-called lone actor violent, domestic, extremists were reassigned to other rolls. That's USA Today’s reporting.
“In the four months since Trump took office, his administration has shrunk the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, known as CP3, from dozens of analysts and supervisors. Now it has fewer than ten people, led by a 22-year-old recent graduate with no law enforcement experience.”
Here we have more violent attacks, and at the same time, the Trump administration is cutting the very unit in law enforcement that's supposed to go after these lone wolf violent attacks and prevent them.
Right now, we need to give law enforcement more resources to prevent these horrific attacks, not less. A program in charge of doing these things shouldn't have fewer than ten people and be led by a 22-year-old with no experience.
This program has been cut dramatically, which will reverberate among everybody who wants a safer America and should reverberate among all elected officials, Democrat and Republican, about the need to keep these programs.
So, we need to give more resources to law enforcement. But let me be clear: this dangerous environment isn't spontaneous. It's being stoked, often deliberately, by the reckless rhetoric coming from some of the most powerful forces in the country. When political opponents are treated like enemies, danger follows.
And that's what Donald Trump has done. He has weaponized the Justice Department and law enforcement into going after his political enemies instead of going after criminals. And it's the responsibility of all leaders, especially the president of the United States, to not just unequivocally condemn hatred but to stop violent and aggressive language against political opponents.
Trump has to see that his words have real impacts and consequences. And here is one way he could start right now. He could demand of Senator Lee that he take down his inflammatory, despicable posts about the deaths of the two people in Minnesota.
They’re gross, they're disgusting, they're the kind of thing that just riles people up. Let Trump call Senator Lee up and say to take them down. Take those posts down. That will be a start.
But in general, he has to stop treating his political opponents as enemies because danger will always follow.
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