Former Vice President Joe Biden will not make defunding the police part of his 2020 platform.
Calls to defund police departments have risen amid nationwide protests against police brutality, with activists and even some lawmakers saying police department budgets should be slashed in favor of community-oriented programs and oversight. A campaign spokesperson for Biden said Monday that the presumptive Democratic nominee "does not believe that police should be defunded," and instead called for "reform."
Biden's statement called for "increased funding for public schools, summer programs, and mental health and substance abuse treatment separate from funding for policing — so that officers can focus on the job of policing." Biden also supports funding for "community policing programs," "diversifying police departments," and "body-worn cameras."
Subscribe to 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.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) avoided explicitly supporting calls to defund police on Monday. Pelosi called choosing to reroute police funding to other community-centered action a "local decision," but added "that doesn't mean we're going to pile more money on to further militarize police."
Pelosi's comments came after the Democratic leaders unveiled their Justice in Policing Act on Monday, which is full of reforms that would affect police departments nationwide. The bill has more than 200 co-sponsors in the House and Senate so far, but none of them are Republicans.
-
Judge: Trump's US attorney in NJ serving unlawfullySpeed Read The appointment of Trump's former personal defense lawyer, Alina Habba, as acting US attorney in New Jersey was ruled 'unlawful'
-
August 22 editorial cartoonsCartoons Friday's political cartoons include security detail in DC, a Swedish takeover, and Donald Trump's love of Kiss
-
The 5 best zombie movies of all timeThe Week Recommends Ghouls feasting on flesh have been a staple of cinema for more than 50 years
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bailSpeed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambushSpeed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrialSpeed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside homespeed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confessionspeed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulderspeed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC paradespeed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
