Schumer Floor Remarks On The Need For Policing Reform And Racial Justice And Decrying Senate GOP For Chasing Already Discredited Conspiracy Theories Instead Of Addressing The Public Health & Economic Crises That Disproportionately Impact African Americans

Schumer Rebukes Senate GOP Blocking Resolution To Condemn President Trump’s Unconstitutional Attacks On Peaceful Protesters In Lafayette Square And Reiterates Demand That Leader McConnell Put Law Enforcement Reform Legislation On Senate Floor Before Fourth Of July

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer today spoke on the Senate floor regarding the need for policing reform and racial justice and condemned Senate Republicans for chasing conspiracy theories instead of working to address the public health and economic crises that disproportionally impact African Americans and communities of color. Senator Schumer also rebuked Leader McConnell for blocking a resolution condemning President Trump’s unconstitutional attacks on peaceful protesters and reiterated that Sen. McConnell must put a law enforcement reform bill on the Senate floor before the Fourth of July. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:

This has been a very difficult week after what has been a very difficult few months. A nation beleaguered by disease and economic depression has once again come face to face with the racial injustice that infects our society.

The death of George Floyd in police custody was a searing reminder of a long list of unarmed African Americans whose lives were taken in similar circumstances—Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others—a well of grief and loss and pain too deep to express. It was a searing reminder of the bigotry and discrimination that African Americans encounter as a part of their daily reality.

That’s why so many Americans, of all ages and colors and faiths, are out in the street protesting right now. They are fed up with racial injustice in this country and want to see some change. Here in the Senate, member after member has come to the floor to share support for the same cause. Yesterday, our caucus held a somber, emotional, and very personal meeting during which our members shared their own lived experiences of racism and spoke about what we need to do next. Because the truth is, while speeches and protests are vital, they will never be enough.

We need to bring greater accountability and transparency to police departments, and reform police practices so that these events don’t happen in the first place. We need to reform a criminal justice system that is still too short on Justice, and begin chipping away at the racial disparities that exist in health care and housing, in education and in the economy.

These issues won’t be solved in a week or a month, a year. Let's hope they can be solved in this decade. But I’ll be damned if we don’t at least try to make some progress. Already, my colleagues Senators Booker and Harris, Cardin and Klobuchar, Duckworth, Schatz, Smith and others are working with the Congressional Black Caucus in the House to develop legislation to address a number of issues related to police violence and racial justice. Senate Democrats will not wait to propose and push for bold, bold change.

Will our Republican colleagues join us? Leader McConnell: commit to put a law enforcement reform bill on the floor of the Senate before July 4th.

Now, I have made this request for several days without an answer from the Republican Leader. Even more disappointing, the Republican Leader blocked a simple resolution I offered last night that reaffirmed Americans’ constitutional right to peaceful protest, condemned the violence and looting that’s occurred in too many places, and condemned the president as well for having gas and rubber bullets used on a peaceful protest in Lafayette Park—one that had families and children protesting in the grand American tradition of peaceful protests.

There was no partisan rhetoric in the resolution. It was three simple concepts, a recitation of the facts.  But because Senate Republicans are so afraid, shivering at the thought of criticizing the president, even when his actions are way out of line, Leader McConnell came and blocked this resolution. Shame, shame, shame.

We all know there are very few checks on the president, especially a president who believes that he can do anything he wants and he said it. One of the most effective checks on President Trump could be the caucus of Republican Senators standing up to him when he’s way out of line. Where are they? Where are they? Even a columnist like George Will has shown his disgust at the Republican Senate—and he's a conservative—for their failure to stand up to President Trump on issues like this.

All too often, on thorny issues like gun safety, racial justice, and police reform, my Republican colleagues sort of say what’s necessary to get through the day when there’s immediate crisis, and wait for the public attention to fade. Leader McConnell called us back into session in early May during the height of the COVID pandemic but we still have not considered a single piece of related legislation on the floor.

Now listen to this. Yesterday, when Leader McConnell was listing legislative priorities for June, he did not mention COVID legislation. Let me repeat for those of you who may have missed it in the swirl of news and events of the day: when listing his June priorities to reporters, Leader McConnell did not mention COVID-related legislation. Other Republican Senators have said that another relief bill might come in late July now—might. Might! This is shocking. This should be a wake-up call to the American people. Americans of all ages and races and creeds and philosophies: call you Republican Senators. Demand action. The recession will get deeper. It could develop into a depression if we don't have relief. We have not done enough in the eyes of every respected economist that I have looked at.

Governors and mayors across the country, including red states, are slashing budgets in advance of new fiscal years, which for most states start July 1st. States will be forced to cut millions of jobs and critical services. Those cuts mean increased school class sizes, longer emergency response times, fewer services to keep the elderly at home and out of nursing homes. These cuts not only exacerbate the recession but the wrath of the coronavirus itself. That is what’s happening while Senate Republicans wait until July to maybe consider another emergency relief bill.

America, look at what our Republicans are doing—not giving the relief you need for your safety, for your schools, services that local government provides. The Republican majority doesn’t seem to have time to address a cascading series of national crises. No time. Why is that? And where's President Trump? Where is his cabinet? They all know that we need more. They all know we haven't solved the economic problem, far from it. They all know that we have to do a lot more on testing.

So a Republican majority doesn't seem to have time to address the COVID national crisis. But you know what it does have time for? Chasing President Trump’s wild conspiracy theories. It sounds like the death knell of the Republican Party as we know it. They can't deal with the two major crises of the day—racial justice and the COVID crisis—and they're busy pursuing conspiracy theories, some of them emanating from Russia, to go after President Obama and Vice President Biden. This makes no sense. This again sounds like the death knell of the Republican Party. The Republican Party we used to know would have some principles, but not be afraid to run to every major issue, to any major issue almost. But that's what they're doing.

Today in the Judiciary Committee, the Republican chairman has called in Rod Rosenstein to dredge up the president’s favorite  conspiracy theory related to the 2016 election. It’s such an egregious misuse of the institutions of the Senate.

Nearly a quarter of our workforce is unemployed, over one hundred thousand Americans are dead from a strange and contagious disease. Americans are in the streets demanding racial justice—and shopworn, discredited conspiracy theories is what the Republican majority is focused on? What alternative universe do they live in? What alternative reality are they in the midst of? One detached from the real reality that the American people face. Conspiracy theories to help President Trump’s re-election. Right-wing judges, many of whom have an antipathy to the civil rights we’re talking about right now. The Republican party in the Senate has moved so far into a corner, the corner that President Trump is in, that they can't address two of the most important and major issues that's affected this country in decades.  The American people should be furious with the Republican Senate majority. And the American people and historians will record with sadness how this once great party, even though I didn't agree with them, has declined so. No courage, no principle, simply cowering for President Trump and his crazy theories that even they know are crazy.

And the American people of course should be should be furious with the president as well. On Monday night, Americans watched federal officers under the direction of the President and the Attorney General use gas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of peaceful protesters in a public park, so the president could stage a photo-op in front of a church, waving the Holy Bible as a prop.

Last night, Americans saw an even more haunting image on the internet and their televisions: rows of camouflaged troops standing at attention on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, like an occupying force defending a critical position.

When you see the image of troops dressed for combat flanking the Lincoln Memorial, an altar to freedom, you cannot help but think of Tiananmen Square. This administration ordered federal officers to gas peaceful protesters and charge on horseback and defend our monuments like battlefield positions. What is President Trump doing to this grand Democracy? What is he doing? And why are our Republican colleagues just going along?

President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address is engraved in that building where armed soldiers stood. During a moment of extreme political division and civil strife, President Lincoln urged “malice towards none, charity for all,” and sought to “bind up the nation’s wounds.”

There could be no greater contrast between Lincoln and this president, who seems to have malice towards all and charity for none. Who seeks to deepen our nation’s wounds rather than bind them up. Our nation is crying out for leadership and direction, for some healing and some unity. Will this president even try to provide it?

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