On August 11th, President Trump announced that he is taking control of D.C.’s local police force and sending in the National Guard troops and other federal law enforcement. This is not about public safety and crime as he is claiming – it’s about fear, control, and intimidation.
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If the President were serious about keeping people safe, here’s what he would do:
Reverse the cuts. He’d demand congressional Republicans undo the $1.1 billion cut they made to D.C.’s budget earlier this year.
Release the funding. He’d stop withholding billions of dollars from communities across the country — including hundreds of Department of Justice grants he cancelled in May that fund law enforcement, drug treatment, crime prevention, and victims’ services.
Support local law enforcement. He’d work with mayors and city leaders to hire more officers, provide better training, and build trust between police and communities — like we’ve done in Cincinnati.
Invest in prevention. He’d focus on reducing gun violence, strengthening mental health programs, and keeping weapons out of the hands of dangerous people.
Instead, Trump has done none of this.
What He’s Doing Instead
Trump has ordered federal officers — many with little training in de-escalation or community policing — to take over D.C. This move comes over the objections of local leaders.
And while he’s staging this show of force in D.C., he’s also pulling critical federal law enforcement resources away from where they’re needed most — limiting their ability to respond to national threats and real emergencies.
This isn’t making anyone safer.
What Public Safety Really Means
Public safety is a real concern in D.C. and communities across the country, and there are real steps that need to be taken to keep people safe. Everyone — regardless of where they live — deserves to feel and be safe in their community, and to be free of fear, harassment, and intimidation.
I will continue working with my colleagues in Congress and local and state partners to address threats to public safety, and deliver real solutions to protect our communities and those most vulnerable among us.
What is happening here??? Apparently few people have enough historical background to sense how ominous this all is! What can be done to stop Trump and those enabling him to lie, exaggerate and trash America? What are the sane members of congress doing to find a way to reign Trump and his goon squad in?? I used to think we could just grit and teeth and bear the next 3.5 years but every day feels more precarious while Trump et al get away with breaking our collective values and systems!
Was JUST in a training today learning all about how to talk about this subject. That opening with the 30 year crime low gets into statistics and it's far more effective to do exactly what you did, name what actually keeps people safe and how he's not doing it