Last week in Washington
was historical for all the wrong
reasons. As our nation faces
complex challenges from COVID-19
to social unrest, people looked
to Congress to see what actions
they would take to heal a nation
that is obviously hurting.
We had an opportunity
before us to make real and
lasting change for the
betterment of all people.
Instead, we were shown one of
the ugliest and most cynical
displays of political
gamesmanship I have ever seen.
In the Senate, my friend Senator
Tim Scott (R-SC) had a police
reform bill that was largely
composed of bipartisan measures.
In fact, about 80% of his bill
included provisions that
Democrats had advocated for –
similar to a discussion draft of
legislation I released earlier
this month. We offered to make
changes and allow as many
amendments as Democrats. Yet
rather than work together,
Democrats refused to even allow
debate on Sen. Scott’s bill.
Think about that for a minute.
We’ve watched for weeks as
people took to the streets
around the country to demand
action, yet Democrats in
Washington decided those voices
did not even deserve to be heard
through an open debate.
Similarly, in the House
of Representatives we also had a
chance to enact powerful
reforms. However, Democrats took
the opposite approach and forced
a vote on a bill that had zero
input from Republicans and was
jammed through committee without
accepting any constructive input
or amendments. I offered a
proposal to stop police unions
from protecting bad cops that
would have passed easily, but
Democrats blocked my amendment
from even being considered
because I have an “R” next to my
name.
You should be outraged
that Democrat Leaders in
Washington would rather have an
issue to use in an election than
work with Republicans to bring
our country together and solve a
problem. They are counting on
you, the American people, not
being smart enough to see
through their cynical game. And
they know they can count on the
media to help them fool you.
They claim the Republican bill
wasn’t strong enough, but
refused all offers to make the
changes they suggested.
Washington Democrats want you to
believe the failure to get real
reform is the fault of the
Republicans, when they shut us
out of the process and blocked
us from having an open debate in
the Senate.
Don’t let them get away
with this con. Americans must
demand our elected
representatives work together to
get the reform all people of
good will demand. We owe it to
the memory of George Floyd and
to good police officers who risk
their lives to protect us every
day. I am committed to
continuing to fight for
meaningful reform.
As we have this debate,
protests continue across the
country. While many of those who
gather are peacefully protesting
to show their frustration and
demand change, there are those
who have hijacked the protests
and taken away the national
spotlight. These anarchists,
aided by un-educated individuals
who don’t know our history, seek
only to destroy property and
deface monuments, no matter who
or what they stand for. These
include a statue in Wisconsin of
the abolitionist Hans Christian
Heg, who disrupted the
activities of slave catchers,
advocated for the education of
prisoners and former slaves, and
died fighting for the Union
Army. In our state, a World War
II monument at Evergreen
Cemetery in Charlotte was
defaced with paint and graffiti.
The monument commemorated 500
Mecklenburg County residents who
died in WWII.
In our nation’s capital,
even a statue of Abraham Lincoln
honoring the end of slavery has
come under attack. This statue
was paid for by former freed
slaves and dedicated by
Frederick Douglas. Make no
mistake, those who seek to
destroy these reminders of the
progress we’ve made as a nation
and heroes who have fought to
defend our freedoms are not
advocates for a brighter future.
They are only seeking to create
conflict and destroy our
history.
We cannot allow these
shameful acts and mob rule to
overshadow the greatness of our
country, just as House Democrats
should not obstruct bipartisan
reform in the interest of
scoring political points. While
this week was a setback, I
refuse to let this be the end. I
remain committed to fighting for
meaningful reform and ask my
colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to stop with the political
games, unite, and answer the
cries heard across the country.
Lane
Ross Designs
