Sen. Brian Schatz announced on Twitter that he will introduce an amendment that would halt the military's transfer of weapons to local police departments.
The Hawaii Democrat wrote that "I will be introducing an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to discontinue the program that transfers military weaponry to local police departments."
Schatz stressed in another tweet that "it is clear many police departments don’t train and supervise for restraint and de-escalation, and some officers are just plain racist and violent. Combine this with a president who appears enthusiastic about making it worse, and weaponry transferred from DOD [Department of Defense] and here we are.”
The senator’s comments came as demonstrations around the country escalated in response to the death of unarmed suspect George Floyd, who died while in Minneapolis police custody, The Hill reported. Police in several cities have fired tear gas and pepper bullets to disperse crowds during clashes with the demonstrators.
Schatz's proposal is not the first time there have been attempts to curtail the program, as former President Barack Obama barred the federal government from giving certain types of military-style equipment to police departments in 2015 after a series of police killings of black men stoked debates over the use of police force.
However, two years later, after President Donald Trump entered the White House, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the restrictions and gave police departments access to military surplus equipment, The New York Times reported.
Sessions said he lifted the restrictions because “We will not put superficial concerns above public safety.”
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.