In his Republican response to President Joe Biden on Wednesday night, Sen. Tim Scott said that Democrats want the issue of police reform to campaign on, but don’t seem interested in finding an actual solution.

Sen. Scott, who was worked on police reform in Congress, has the distinction of being the U.S. Senate’s only black Republican.

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Sen. Scott: Dems Don’t Want A Solution

After Biden finished his address to a joint session of Congress, Sen. Scott criticized Democrats for using the filibuster to block his proposals on police reform last year.

Ironically, in their recent attempt to abolish the filibuster, many Democrats have argued that the filibuster is racist. Former President Obama referred to it as a “Jim Crow relic.”

“In 2015, after the shooting of Walter Scott, I wrote a bill to fund body cameras,” Scott said. “Last year, after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, I wrote an even bigger police reform proposal.”

“But, my Democratic colleagues blocked it,” Scott scolded.

Scott then explained how he tried to get something substantive passed and Democrats weren’t having it.

He said Dems just want the issue and don’t seem to really care about fixing any problems.

“I extended an olive branch; I offered amendments, but Democrats used the filibuster to block the debate from even happening,” the South Carolina senator said.

“My friends across the aisle seem to want the issue, more than they wanted a solution,” Scott said.

Scott Vows To Keep Working On Police Reform

But Democrats’ inaction isn’t going to stop him from working diligently, Scott said.

“But, I’m still working; I’m hopeful that this will be different,” Scott declared.

“When America comes together, we’ve seen tremendous progress, but powerful forces want to pull us apart,” Scott said.

After the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police last year, the issue of police reform was addressed by Congress.

Democrats have insisted on repealing qualified immunity, which protects officers from individual lawsuits, which has been a non-starter for most Republicans.

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Recently, Scott has offered a compromise where police departments can be liable for alleged wrongful deaths or other violence, but not individuals.

Independent Sen. Angus King of Maine, one of the three non-Republicans who voted to push forward Scott’s police reform legislation, blasted Democrats at the time for voting against its advancement.

King said, “voting against it will end the discussion of this subject in the Senate for the foreseeable future, and leave us with nothing to show for all the energy and passion that has brought this issue to the forefront of public consciousness.”

 

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