Senate Democrats urge McConnell not to force Republican police bill vote

The chamber's top Democrat and two Black senators wrote a letter urging McConnell instead to consider stronger reforms contained in a sweeping Democratic bill the U.S. House of Representatives is due to consider on Thursday, following widespread protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody. "Bringing the (Republican bill) to the floor of the Senate is a woefully inadequate response, and we urge you to bring meaningful legislation to the floor for a vote," said the letter written by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Cory Booker and Senator Kamala Harris.


Reuters | Washington DC | Updated: 23-06-2020 20:25 IST | Created: 23-06-2020 20:05 IST
Senate Democrats urge McConnell not to force Republican police bill vote
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U.S. Senate Democrats urged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday not to hold a key procedural vote this week on a Republican police reform bill that critics say does not go far enough to address racial disparities in American policing practices. The chamber's top Democrat and two Black senators wrote a letter urging McConnell instead to consider stronger reforms contained in a sweeping Democratic bill the U.S. House of Representatives is due to consider on Thursday, following widespread protests sparked by the death of George Floyd in police custody.

"Bringing the (Republican bill) to the floor of the Senate is a woefully inadequate response, and we urge you to bring meaningful legislation to the floor for a vote," said the letter written by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Cory Booker and Senator Kamala Harris. But McConnell warned of "partisan stalemate" if Democrats refuse to move to a debate on the Republican bill on Wednesday.

"The American people deserve for the Senate to take up this issue at this time," McConnell said. "Tomorrow, we'll find out whether our Democratic colleagues share our ambition or whether they choose to duck the issue and leave the country in the lurch." Democrats reject the Republican bill as too weak because it relies on incentives to encourage reforms.

Floyd's May 25 death in Minneapolis, when a white officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, sparked weeks of worldwide protests and stirred strong public sentiment for stopping excessive force by police, especially against African-Americans. Last week, Trump signed an executive order aimed at guiding police reforms https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minneapolis-police-congress-legislati/factbox-whats-the-difference-between-three-u-s-plans-for-police-reform-idUSKBN23O3KW.

But nearly a month after Floyd's death, Republicans and Democrats in Congress have pursued separate partisan bills to rein in police misconduct. Neither has enough support to win approval from both chambers and be signed into law by Trump.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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