Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., said in a statement Wednesday that he was “deeply disappointed” that Democrat colleagues walked away from the negotiation table during discussions on a bipartisan crime that has been going on for months.
Despite the slow progress, there were some agreements on issues like banning chokeholds, curbing the transfer of military equipment to police and increasing funds for mental health programs.
“Crime will continue to increase while safety decreases, and more officers are going to walk away from the force because my negotiating partners walked away from the table,” Scott, a senate negotiator, said in a statement.
TRUMP, WITH SPATE OF 2022 ENDORSEMENTS, GOES WHERE NO FORMER PRESIDENT’S GONE BEFORE
joe-biden” target=”_blank”>President Biden< effort followed high-profile police killings last year of Black people, including george-floyd” target=”_blank”>George Floyd<, D-N.J., told reporters there was a point when it became clear that the impasse would not be resolved. Sen. bernie-sanders” target=”_blank”>Bernie Sanders< walked away because they “could not let go of their push to defund our law enforcement. Once again, the Left let their misguided idea of perfect be the enemy of good, impactful legislation.”
“Reverting to a partisan approach to score political points when American lives are at risk is just plain wrong. As they are doing on so many other issues, I fear Democrats will continue to pursue a partisan route to create problems in search of solutions,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
