Crime in America’s cities continues to be another manifestation of Democrats’ misguided ideology and failed policies, and conservatives, while often critical of their counterparts across the street, don’t always have a plan to solve the problems they highlight. But as for conservative supporters on the Republican Studies Committee, they have a plan ready in case the GOP retakes the House of Representatives in November.
In memo published on MondayRSC Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN) outlined his committee’s priorities for combating the left’s “pro-criminal agenda” with conservative policies.
The RSC’s proposal for conservative anti-crime policy includes a “Concerned Citizens Bill of Rights,” which stipulates that the federal government will “hold anti-police officers accountable for fostering a culture of criminality within their jurisdictions by conditioning states on receipt of appropriate Department of Justice grants to adopt certain enforcement measures.” laws.”
As the RSC note reminds us:
While crime is rising across the country, it is much worse in areas that promote the pro-criminal ideology of the radical left. According to the FBI’s annual statistics, murders in the US increased by 30% in 2020, the largest annual raise since crime statistics began 60 years ago. In 2021, murders in major U.S. cities increased another 5% from 2020 levels. Meanwhile[sic]“Columbus, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Louisville, Kentucky; St. Paul, Minnesota; Portland, Oregon; Tucson, Arizona; Toledo, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Austin, Texas; Rochester, New York; and Albuquerque, New Mexico” set homicide records.
Additionally, increased gang activity has increased crime rates, retail thefts are plaguing even high-end shopping malls, domestic violence and aggravated assaults have increased, drug seizures have increased, and murders of law enforcement officers have reached an all-time high in 2021.
Policies suggested in Banks’ memo include preventing taxpayer dollars from being used to subsidize programs that promote left-wing ideology, as well as requiring state and local law enforcement agencies to report crimes under the FBI’s UCR program and submit plans for how they intend to reduce crimes in order to receive federal funds. Additionally, the RSC memo calls for withholding federal funds in states where district attorneys mitigate crimes or that adopt “cashless bail” laws.
The memo also outlined straightforward rules that Banks said would support deter criminal violence and drug trafficking, bypass crooked prosecutors, combat the border crisis under Biden, hold large tech accountable when it facilitates or is complicit in criminal activity, demand that the Department of Justice transparency on soft-on-crime consent decrees and raise federal penalties for crimes against law enforcement officers.
Banks is also calling on Congress to employ its oversight of the District of Columbia to once again make the nation’s capital tough on crime, an example of what forceful law enforcement can do to make jurisdictions safer and, in the case of younger Americans, prevent Critical Funding dollars from being taxed. Race Theory, Black Lives Matter, or Defund the Police based curriculum.
The bottom line, according to Chairman Banks and the Republican Research Committee? “Once again, Democrats have broken apart parts of our civil society, and once again it will be conservatives who will step up to put it back together.”
