Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) attend a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
'January 6 Was Not Due to a Lack of Police Funding': Squad Members Reject Capital Hill Security Bill
Reps. Cori Bush, Ilhan Omar, and Ayanna Pressley refused to vote for "more money for a broken system that has long upheld and protected the white supremacist violence we saw on display that day."
U.S. House Democrats barely passed a $1.9 billion bill to fund security measures on Capitol Hill Thursday after progressive lawmakers objected to the premise of the legislation: that the Capitol Police and other security personnel need additional funding to better protect federal buildings in the wake of the January 6 insurrection.
The Emergency Security Supplemental, which was passed in a 213-212 vote, includes $43.9 million for the Capitol Police, $520.9 million to the National Guard, and $250 million for security improvements on the Capitol grounds.
"Instead of responding to crises with calls for more police, our response must be much more holistic. I do not support adding additional funding to already bloated police budgets."
--Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
Progressives including Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said a full accounting is needed of how hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump and white supremacists were able to break into the Capitol on January 6 as lawmakers voted to certify the 2020 election results--including whether Capitol Police officers were "complicit" in the attack.
Bowman, who voted "present" on the package," said in a statement that the insurrection happened "not due to lack of police funding" but "because the threat of white supremacy has been enabled to spread and fester throughout our nation--including within law enforcement."
"That is something that still needs to be addressed by Congress and investigated thoroughly," the congressman said, adding that "pouring billions more into policing" will not accomplish the goal of understanding whether some officers helped enable the attackers.
"Instead of responding to crises with calls for more police, our response must be much more holistic," Bowman continued. "I do not support adding additional funding to already bloated police budgets."
As Common Dreams reported in April, an internal agency investigation of the Capitol Police revealed that leaders of the agency ignored critical intelligence ahead of the mob attack, which killed five people. Some officers were also filmed reacting in a friendly manner to the January 6 attackers.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined Bowman in voting "present" on the emergency supplemental package, while Bush, Omar, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) all voted "no" on the legislation.
Amira Hassan, political director for Justice Democrats, applauded Bush, Omar, and Pressley for "standing on principle."
The Capitol Police is one of the best-funded law enforcement agencies in the U.S., with a budget last year of $516 million--up 11% from $462 million the previous year.
Omar told Politico Thursday that she was "frankly tired of any time where there is a failure in our system of policing, the first response is for us to give them more money."
The congresswoman said she witnessed "police preparedness and procedures and the lack of political will" to stop the mob during the insurrection.
"It is not clear to me how the supplemental addresses that," she told Politico.
Omar, Pressley, and Bush also said in a joint statement that the bill did not provide sufficient funding for counseling services for the Capitol Police and federal employees who were at the Capitol on January 6.
"The bill also does far too little to address the unspeakable trauma of the countless officers, staff, and support workers who were on site that day--dedicating 50 times more money to the creation of a 'quick reaction force' than it does to counseling," said the lawmakers. "We cannot support this increased funding while many of our communities continue to face police brutality while marching in the streets, and while questions about the disparate response between insurrectionists and those protesting in defense of Black lives go unanswered."
The security supplemental includes $4.4 million for wellness and trauma support compared to $31.1 million for salaries and bonuses.
By pouring more money into the agency responsible for policing Capitol Hill, Bush, Omar, and Pressley said, Congress is prioritizing "more money for a broken system that has long upheld and protected the white supremacist violence we saw on display that day."
"There must be a comprehensive investigation and response to the attack on our Capitol and our democracy, one that addresses the root cause of the insurrection: white supremacy," they said. "We look forward to working towards systemic policy solutions that meet the scale and scope of the crises our communities and our nation face."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
U.S. House Democrats barely passed a $1.9 billion bill to fund security measures on Capitol Hill Thursday after progressive lawmakers objected to the premise of the legislation: that the Capitol Police and other security personnel need additional funding to better protect federal buildings in the wake of the January 6 insurrection.
The Emergency Security Supplemental, which was passed in a 213-212 vote, includes $43.9 million for the Capitol Police, $520.9 million to the National Guard, and $250 million for security improvements on the Capitol grounds.
"Instead of responding to crises with calls for more police, our response must be much more holistic. I do not support adding additional funding to already bloated police budgets."
--Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
Progressives including Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said a full accounting is needed of how hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump and white supremacists were able to break into the Capitol on January 6 as lawmakers voted to certify the 2020 election results--including whether Capitol Police officers were "complicit" in the attack.
Bowman, who voted "present" on the package," said in a statement that the insurrection happened "not due to lack of police funding" but "because the threat of white supremacy has been enabled to spread and fester throughout our nation--including within law enforcement."
"That is something that still needs to be addressed by Congress and investigated thoroughly," the congressman said, adding that "pouring billions more into policing" will not accomplish the goal of understanding whether some officers helped enable the attackers.
"Instead of responding to crises with calls for more police, our response must be much more holistic," Bowman continued. "I do not support adding additional funding to already bloated police budgets."
As Common Dreams reported in April, an internal agency investigation of the Capitol Police revealed that leaders of the agency ignored critical intelligence ahead of the mob attack, which killed five people. Some officers were also filmed reacting in a friendly manner to the January 6 attackers.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined Bowman in voting "present" on the emergency supplemental package, while Bush, Omar, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) all voted "no" on the legislation.
Amira Hassan, political director for Justice Democrats, applauded Bush, Omar, and Pressley for "standing on principle."
The Capitol Police is one of the best-funded law enforcement agencies in the U.S., with a budget last year of $516 million--up 11% from $462 million the previous year.
Omar told Politico Thursday that she was "frankly tired of any time where there is a failure in our system of policing, the first response is for us to give them more money."
The congresswoman said she witnessed "police preparedness and procedures and the lack of political will" to stop the mob during the insurrection.
"It is not clear to me how the supplemental addresses that," she told Politico.
Omar, Pressley, and Bush also said in a joint statement that the bill did not provide sufficient funding for counseling services for the Capitol Police and federal employees who were at the Capitol on January 6.
"The bill also does far too little to address the unspeakable trauma of the countless officers, staff, and support workers who were on site that day--dedicating 50 times more money to the creation of a 'quick reaction force' than it does to counseling," said the lawmakers. "We cannot support this increased funding while many of our communities continue to face police brutality while marching in the streets, and while questions about the disparate response between insurrectionists and those protesting in defense of Black lives go unanswered."
The security supplemental includes $4.4 million for wellness and trauma support compared to $31.1 million for salaries and bonuses.
By pouring more money into the agency responsible for policing Capitol Hill, Bush, Omar, and Pressley said, Congress is prioritizing "more money for a broken system that has long upheld and protected the white supremacist violence we saw on display that day."
"There must be a comprehensive investigation and response to the attack on our Capitol and our democracy, one that addresses the root cause of the insurrection: white supremacy," they said. "We look forward to working towards systemic policy solutions that meet the scale and scope of the crises our communities and our nation face."
U.S. House Democrats barely passed a $1.9 billion bill to fund security measures on Capitol Hill Thursday after progressive lawmakers objected to the premise of the legislation: that the Capitol Police and other security personnel need additional funding to better protect federal buildings in the wake of the January 6 insurrection.
The Emergency Security Supplemental, which was passed in a 213-212 vote, includes $43.9 million for the Capitol Police, $520.9 million to the National Guard, and $250 million for security improvements on the Capitol grounds.
"Instead of responding to crises with calls for more police, our response must be much more holistic. I do not support adding additional funding to already bloated police budgets."
--Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.)
Progressives including Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said a full accounting is needed of how hundreds of supporters of former President Donald Trump and white supremacists were able to break into the Capitol on January 6 as lawmakers voted to certify the 2020 election results--including whether Capitol Police officers were "complicit" in the attack.
Bowman, who voted "present" on the package," said in a statement that the insurrection happened "not due to lack of police funding" but "because the threat of white supremacy has been enabled to spread and fester throughout our nation--including within law enforcement."
"That is something that still needs to be addressed by Congress and investigated thoroughly," the congressman said, adding that "pouring billions more into policing" will not accomplish the goal of understanding whether some officers helped enable the attackers.
"Instead of responding to crises with calls for more police, our response must be much more holistic," Bowman continued. "I do not support adding additional funding to already bloated police budgets."
As Common Dreams reported in April, an internal agency investigation of the Capitol Police revealed that leaders of the agency ignored critical intelligence ahead of the mob attack, which killed five people. Some officers were also filmed reacting in a friendly manner to the January 6 attackers.
Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) joined Bowman in voting "present" on the emergency supplemental package, while Bush, Omar, and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) all voted "no" on the legislation.
Amira Hassan, political director for Justice Democrats, applauded Bush, Omar, and Pressley for "standing on principle."
The Capitol Police is one of the best-funded law enforcement agencies in the U.S., with a budget last year of $516 million--up 11% from $462 million the previous year.
Omar told Politico Thursday that she was "frankly tired of any time where there is a failure in our system of policing, the first response is for us to give them more money."
The congresswoman said she witnessed "police preparedness and procedures and the lack of political will" to stop the mob during the insurrection.
"It is not clear to me how the supplemental addresses that," she told Politico.
Omar, Pressley, and Bush also said in a joint statement that the bill did not provide sufficient funding for counseling services for the Capitol Police and federal employees who were at the Capitol on January 6.
"The bill also does far too little to address the unspeakable trauma of the countless officers, staff, and support workers who were on site that day--dedicating 50 times more money to the creation of a 'quick reaction force' than it does to counseling," said the lawmakers. "We cannot support this increased funding while many of our communities continue to face police brutality while marching in the streets, and while questions about the disparate response between insurrectionists and those protesting in defense of Black lives go unanswered."
The security supplemental includes $4.4 million for wellness and trauma support compared to $31.1 million for salaries and bonuses.
By pouring more money into the agency responsible for policing Capitol Hill, Bush, Omar, and Pressley said, Congress is prioritizing "more money for a broken system that has long upheld and protected the white supremacist violence we saw on display that day."
"There must be a comprehensive investigation and response to the attack on our Capitol and our democracy, one that addresses the root cause of the insurrection: white supremacy," they said. "We look forward to working towards systemic policy solutions that meet the scale and scope of the crises our communities and our nation face."