With the focus on passing the Inflation Reduction Act on Friday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is punting on police-reform legislation beyond the August recess.
Pelosi acknowledged the "conversations" between progressives and more moderate Democrats on the funding of law enforcement and efforts to increase accountability on police officers amid calls to ''defund the police'' as a reason to hold off bringing legislation forward right now.
"This week, our focus must remain on passing the [Inflation Reduction Act], as conversations continue on finding consensus for a robust public safety package," Pelosi wrote in a letter to fellow Democrats on Wednesday.
Democrats had hoped to have a vote this month on police reform and public safety legislation, but disagreements have lingered, The Hill reported.
This is not the first time House Democrats have delayed action on policing reform, having pulled policing legislation out of a bill to ban certain types of weapons last month.
Democrats have been pushing for police funding in their districts, particularly vulnerable Democrats in areas of rising crime that need to give their constituents something to boost their vote for them in midterm elections.
Progressives, who are a very small minority in the Democratic Party, have been pushing defund the police initiatives — a tough sell for more moderate Democrats.
"The voters are gonna vote the front-liners out," a vulnerable Democrat told The Hill.
Progressives suggested they are aware of the midterm difficulty in crime-ridden cities, according to the report.
"Progressives understand that frontliners feel the need to legislate on this and have some votes on it; they understand our communities are concerned about it," a progressive member's senior aide told The Hill. "Let's do it in a way that brings everyone together and everyone can get behind and doesn't unnecessarily create division — not only inside the Democratic Caucus, but between Democrats and the Civil Rights groups."
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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