Sen. Joni Ernst on efforts to force cities, states to hold violent agitators accountable
New bill from Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst would deny federal funds to cities and states that permit lawless 'autonomous zones.'
Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, joined "Hannity" Friday to discuss her new bill that would deny federal funds to cities that permit demonstrators to construct Seattle-style "autonomous zones."
"The bill would prevent federal taxpayer dollars from going to those autonomous zones and the mayors and the governors that enable the lawlessness to continue, or those mayors that prevent law enforcement from actually going into these areas and policing as they should be doing," Ernst told guest host Jason Chaffetz.
"We would strip away the federal funding that goes to those cities," she added. "So we think it is the right thing to do. We certainly don't want to enable those areas. If they truly want to be autonomous, then they can exist on their own."
TRUMP ISSUES WARNING AMID VANDALISM, EFFORT TO TOPPLE ANDREW JACKSON STATUE
President Trump announced earlier Friday that he signed an executive order to protect American monuments, memorials and statues and threatened those who try to pull them down with “long prison time.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General Bill Barr directed the creation of a task force to counter anti-government extremists, specifically naming those who support the far-right “boogaloo” movement and those who identify as Antifa.
"I think it is actually quite ironic because we saw with the death of George Floyd, a law enforcement officer that had lost the morality, was corrupt, lost all empathy for fellow human beings," Ernst said. "And that's exactly what we see these different groups embracing, is lawlessness, corruption, anarchy, you know, everything that they said that they were against."
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Ernst also criticized Democratic leadership for blocking the Senate Republicans' police reform bill, introduced by Tim Scott.
"It is so disheartening, when our nation is crying out for justice, correction of racial injustice and we have an opportunity to come together in Congress and provide a path forward," Ernst said. "And the Democrats blocked it just straight out, didn't even want to debate the merits of the bill."
Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
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