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Statement on Biden-Harris Administration’s Successful Efforts to Reduce Crime Across the Country

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 28, 2024
PRESS CONTACT: [email protected]

STATEMENT ON BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION’S SUCCESSFUL EFFORTS TO REDUCE CRIME ACROSS THE COUNTRY

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In response to President Biden’s remarks on lowering crime, Building Back Together Executive Director Mayra Macías released the following statement:

“Announcements like today’s on crime reduction in America are what good governance is all about, and are exactly what President Biden and Vice President Harris have been working toward since their first day in office. The historic, bipartisan work the Biden-Harris Administration has done with cities and counties across the country means that millions of Americans are now living in safer communities.

From historic investments in cities and states to make our communities safer, to establishing an unprecedented permanent federal funding stream for community violence intervention programs, to passing the most significant piece of gun safety legislation in 30 years with the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, to the introduction of the Safer America Plan that will commit $13 billion over the next five years to hire 100,000 additional police officers trained in community violence intervention, President Biden’s commitment to reducing crime across America continues to be a massive success, and we’re proud to stand alongside him in that effort.

Of course, there’s more to do to make sure that every American family is able to live in a neighborhood free from crime. Congress has a responsibility to act — passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act to build public trust in our law enforcement officers, instituting universal background checks, safe storage laws, and bans on assault weapons to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and off our streets, and helping communities solve murders and violent gun crimes through passing the VICTIM Act. It’s only through bipartisan efforts in Congress to move important legislation like this that we can achieve President Biden’s vision of every American feeling safe in their own community.”

Since taking office, the Biden-Harris Administration has worked to reduce crime by: 

  • Investing in community programs through the American Rescue Plan Act to prevent crime by interrupting disputes before they spill into violence and expanding economic and educational opportunities.
  • Proposing the Safer America Plan, which would: 
    • Commit $13 billion over the next 5 years to hire 100,000 additional police officers for accountable community policing
    • Appropriate $5 billion over the next decade to expand community violence intervention programs, building off the $250 million committed to community violence prevention initiatives in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
    • Invest $3 billion to help communities clear court backlogs and solve murders
    • Establish a new $15 billion grant program called Accelerating Justice System Reform that cities and states can use to prevent crime or ease the burden on police by identifying situations that merit a public health response
    • Direct additional funds to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives so ATF can hire new agents and investigators to help cities trace firearms and analyze ballistics from crime scenes. 
  • Passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant gun safety legislation in nearly 30 years. 
  • Establishing the first-ever Office of Gun Violence Prevention, overseen by Vice President Harris, to implement the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and coordinate federal support, including mental health care, for survivors and communities. The office will also research and develop policy to address gun violence and work with states to improve responses to gun violence. 
  • Putting more cops on the beat through the American Rescue Plan, backed up by more federal agents to take violent criminals off our streets.
  • Cracking down on firearms traffickers to get illegal guns off our streets.

President Biden called on cities and states to use the historic funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to fight violent crime, and, so far, at least $15 billion has been spent or committed to make our neighborhoods safer.

Congressional Republicans voted against every penny of that funding.

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