Pelosi says 'defund the police' is not the Democratic Party's policy


House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Sunday pushed back against the notion that the Democratic Party fully embraces the idea of defunding the police.
"Make no mistake, community safety is our responsibility," Pelosi said on ABC's This Week. "I quote one of my colleagues from New York, [Rep.] Ritchie Torres, a brand new member of Congress way on the left, saying that 'defund the police' is dead. That causes a concern with a few in our caucus. But public safety is our responsibility."
Some Democrats believe that the "defund the police" slogan caused party losses in 2020, and ahead of the 2022 midterms, want lawmakers to stop saying it. Last week, Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) told Axios that she won't drop the motto, and thinks Democrats need to clearly explain that it means funding will be shifted to other social services.
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.
"'Defund the police' is not the problem," Bush said. "We dangled the carrot in front of people's faces and said we can get it done and that Democrats deliver, when we haven't totally delivered. If [Republicans] take the majority, it's just done as far as trying to get the legislation across."
Pelosi told This Week host George Stephanopoulos that this is "not the position of the Democratic Party, with all due respect to Cori Bush. Community safety to protect and defend in every way is our oath of office." Democrats, she added, want to make policing better by reducing "mistreatment" of civilians, and one example is ending no-knock warrants.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Political violence: The rise in leftist terrorism
Feature A new study finds that, for the first time in decades, attacks by far-left extremists have surpassed far-right violence in the U.S.
-
The GOP: Merging flag and cross
Feature Donald Trump has launched a task force to pursue “anti-Christian policies”
-
October 7 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include Chicago in trouble, RFK Jr's medical advice, and more
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
‘Every argument has a rational, emotional and rhetorical component’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Why is this government shutdown so consequential?
Today's Big Question Federal employee layoffs could be in the thousands
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US