Sen. Kennedy calls out Tlaib, Pressely for 'attempt to compete in the woke Olympics'
Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy responds to bill by Rep. Tlaib and Rep. Pressley to defund the police.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., told "The Story" Wednesday that law enforcement reform legislation announced earlier this week by Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass, of Massachusetts "is clearly a serious effort to compete in the Woke Olympics.
"I would give it 9.7," Kennedy, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told host Trace Gallagher. "As an American who feels gratitude, not hatred for my country, the only way I know how to improve their bill is with the shredder."
'SQUAD' MEMBERS TLAIB AND PRESSLEY INTRODUCE BILL TO DEFUND POLICE, GIVE REPARATIONS
The legislation, known as the BREATHE Act, calls for federal funding of local police and federal agencies to be reduced and the difference diverted to pay for health care, education, environmental, and housing programs. It would also eliminate federal programs and agencies used to finance Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the controversial Department of Defense 1033 program, which transfers excess military equipment to civilian law enforcement agencies.
Other provisions include abolishing surveillance tactics disproportionately used to target minority communities, electronic monitoring -- including ankle monitors, smartphone apps and other tools -- ending civil asset forfeiture, ending the "three strikes" law and repealing laws that criminalize illegal immigration.
Kennedy told Gallagher that a quick glance at crime statistics in Philadelphia, New York and Chicago should lead anyone to conclude that the BREATHE Act bill is the last thing those cities need.
"There are people in every society, I don't know why. But there are people in every society who aren't mixed up and they are not confused, they are not sick -- they are just bad," he said. "A civilization, in order to be civilized, has to have a set of rules and someone to enforce them and we are seeing what happens across America, mainly in our urban areas, when we don't enforce our law and we don't have police to enforce those laws.
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"In terms of the bill that the two congresswomen are offering, I don't think anyone in the Senate is taking it very seriously. I think it's great we live in a country where two congresswomen have the right to say what they want, but we also have a right to disagree with them," Kennedy went on.
"I believe in free enterprise. They're Marxists. I believe in equal opportunity and they believe in government-guaranteed equal outcome. They don't believe in the Second Amendment. I believe that love is the answer but I also want a handgun just in case."
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