The House of Representatives approved a Long Island Republican’s pro-law enforcement resolution Thursday, officially condemning calls to “defund the police.”
The GOP-controlled chamber voted 268-156 in support of the concurrent resolution, with 62 Democrats joining 206 Republicans in support.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and 145 other Democrats opposed the measure. Ten Republicans voted against the resolution, while five members of each party did not vote.
“How dare these extreme MAGA Republicans try to lecture anyone about standing with law enforcement,” Jeffries said of the resolution during a press conference Thursday. “Marjorie Taylor Greene and others — they want to defund the FBI. The extreme MAGA Republicans want to defund the Department of Justice.”
The resolution is largely formal, since it only requires the approval of both chambers of Congress and will not head to President Biden’s desk for a signature.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about a potential Senate vote.
The resolution “recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of local law enforcement who keep our communities safe” and “condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police.”
It also cites incidents of “looting, rioting and violence in major cities” that occurred during anti-cop riots in summer 2020.
The measure blames “leftist activists and progressive politicians” for having “called for the defunding and dismantling of local police departments across the country and actively encouraged resentment toward local law enforcement.”
The resolution was authored by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, who tucked an earlier piece of legislation into the measure that codified a federal “bill of rights” for police officers.
“I am proud that my Law Enforcement Officers Bill of Rights proposal was passed in the House of Representatives in a bipartisan fashion, and I urge my colleagues in the Senate to similarly unite and approve the measure in their chamber,” the 41-year-old D’Esposito said in a statement.
“As a retired NYPD Detective, I have seen firsthand the difficulties of policing, and this legislative package is a major step forward in providing law enforcement officers with greater safeguards as they work tirelessly to protect the public.”
When unveiling his officers’ bill of rights in April, D’Esposito cited recent increases in the number of cops shot while on duty and accused “far-left progressives” of endangering minority communities with their embrace of defunding law enforcement.
D’Esposito was one of several New York Republicans who flipped blue districts in New York last year, winning the 4th Congressional District by nearly four percentage points.
He campaigned on a pledge to “stop the defund the police movement and keep Nancy Pelosi, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other Congressional Democrats from ending cash bail.”
The NYPD recorded a 23% jump in major crimes in 2022, though homicides and shootings fell slightly.
