Congressional Democrats Steer Clear of Supporting Calls to ‘Defund the Police’

Some congressional Democrats are steering clear of supporting calls to “defund the police” as they aim to offer clarity on their stance for police reform.

On Monday, as Congressional Democrats unveiled their new bill for police reform, they also made an effort to center their focus on the main goal of their proposed legislation — reform and accountability for police departments, nationwide.

While they are looking to taking funding from over-funded police departments, Democratic leaders are trying to make it clear that they have no plan to completely defund police departments.

“We could re-balance some of our funding to address some of those issues more directly,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at a press conference about directing some funds to policing in schools and addressing mental health. “But this isn’t about that and that should not be the story that leaves here.”

During an interview with MSNBC, Pelosi also aimed to clarify the Democrats’ plans while noting that their currently proposed legislation would not lead to the complete defunding of any police department.

“The funding of police is a local matter, as you know. From the standpoint of our legislation, we’re not going to that place. What we’re doing is talking about how we change policy to make our policing more just,” Pelosi said.

See Pelosi’s remarks below:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) spoke from a blatantly honest stance about the notion, saying