Biden to sign police reform executive order 2 years after George Floyd's death
President Biden is expected to sign an executive order to reform federal policing on Wednesday, two years after the death of George Floyd.
The executive order will direct all federal agencies to revise their use-of-force policies and create a database of officers fired for misconduct, among other initiatives. The White House and the Justice Department have been working on the directive since last year, when a similar police reform effort failed in the Senate, The New York Times notes. Officials believe the order, which will be more limited in scope than the Senate's would-be plan, will satisfy both activists and law enforcement, even if neither side is entirely pleased.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who helped lead efforts in the Senate, called the order "very strong," per CBS News.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I think the president's team — using the powers that he has — have done an excellent job of advancing the call that I think all Americans feel to do everything you can to improve the policing profession, to empower our officers with both accountability and support," Booker said.
Biden is supposed to sign the directive alongside police officials and relatives of Floyd's, the Times notes. It will likely be one of his first official acts following his return from a trip to Asia.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.
-
Political cartoons for January 27Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include booting out Bovino, a Rittenhouse reminder, and needling with Newsom
-
Judge tosses DOJ petition for Oregon voter dataSpeed Read The decision was made following a letter sent by the DOJ to Minnesota
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
The billionaires’ wealth tax: a catastrophe for California?Talking Point Peter Thiel and Larry Page preparing to change state residency
-
Hegseth moves to demote Sen. Kelly over videospeed read Retired Navy fighter pilot Mark Kelly appeared in a video reminding military service members that they can ‘refuse illegal orders’
-
Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after Maduro grabSpeed Read The American president claims the US will ‘run’ Venezuela for an unspecified amount of time, contradicting a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio
-
Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ scandal is about more than one reportIN THE SPOTLIGHT By blocking an approved segment on a controversial prison holding US deportees in El Salvador, the editor-in-chief of CBS News has become the main story
-
CBS pulls ‘60 Minutes’ report on Trump deporteesSpeed Read An investigation into the deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador’s notorious prison was scrapped
-
Trump administration posts sliver of Epstein filesSpeed Read Many of the Justice Department documents were heavily redacted, though new photos of both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton emerged
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
