Guy Benson on Squad members' 'Breathe Act': Defunding police is 'wildly unpopular and dangerous'
The House passed a sweeping police reform bill last month, but the legislation failed to move forward in the Senate.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News contributor Guy Benson on Wednesday called the House Democrats' proposed “Breathe Act,” which aims to defund the police, a “non-starter radical piece of legislation with zero percent chance of passing.”
“Certainly with Republicans in control of the Senate and Donald Trump in the White House, it would not become law,” the host of "The Guy Benson Show" told “America’s Newsroom.”
Benson said he is “unsure” whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would even put the bill up for a vote in the House because it is “filled with poison pills for Democrats.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}OMAR DEFENDS CALL TO DISMANTLE MINNEAPOLIS POLICE DEPARTMENT, CALLING IT 'ROTTEN TO THE ROOT'
“They can put this out. I think it is helpful what Democrats tell us what their vision is for the country and, in this case, their vision is to defang the police and abolish major mechanisms for law enforcement, whether it is drug enforcement, immigration enforcement, prisons.”
Two congressional "squad" members unveiled a wide-ranging proposal Tuesday to defund police departments and establish a reparations program for African Americans and people harmed by the police and the criminal justice system.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, both Democrats, announced the Breathe Act via a virtual conference call. Both lawmakers are part of the four-member "squad," a group of female progressive House members that includes Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota.
“We can start to envision through this bill a new version for public safety – a new vision for public safety, one that protects and affirms Black lives,” Tlaib said, according to the New York Post.
Benson said that it is “telling and striking” that amid a spike in crime in large cities Democrats are pushing for curtailing law enforcement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“You have some Democrats and people way out on the left saying let's take that model basically and let’s enshrine in law and make it nationwide,” Benson said.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP
“We’ve seen these types of the completely unacceptable, quote-unquote, protest tactics in other places recently: Washington state [and] Atlanta. It has resulted in violence and, in some cases, death. It is dangerous and I think that cities need to be held responsible, people who are in charge, politicians with power need to be held responsible and police need to be allowed to do their job.”