Tennessee Republican Representative David Kustoff (R-TN-08) recently introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that calls on Congress to create a strategy to address the rising violent crime in the United States. A similar resolution was also introduced in the U.S. Senate by Republican Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
Today, I introduced a resolution urging @JoeBiden to work with Congress to combat the rise of violent crime across the U. S. Thank you to @RepMalliotakis and my Republican colleagues for joining me. https://t.co/13Yk6msHCJ
— Rep. David Kustoff (@RepDavidKustoff) July 14, 2022
Kustoff’s resolution states, “Rising crime, especially violent crime, in the United States poses a threat to the national interest, as well as to the safety and security of individuals, communities, businesses, law enforcement officers, and the rule of law.” The resolution defines violent crime as “consisting of offenses that involve force or the threat of force, namely: murder and non-negligent manslaughter; forcible rape; robbery; and aggravated assault.”
According to the resolution, “violent crimes can only be combated if the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, other law enforcement agencies, and the private sector work together.” Therefore, as the resolution states, “it is the sense of the House of Representatives that the President should work with Congress to develop and execute a strategy, drawing on the multiple instruments of power and resources of the United States to counter the rise in violent crime across the country by reinforcing strong criminal justice policies, by laying blame on the perpetrators of violent acts, and by securing the southern border; and to coordinate with Federal, State, and local agencies and authorities to implement the strategy; and exhort all those agencies and authorities to strengthen their approaches to combat the violent crime epidemic within the country.”
Kustoff’s resolution is co-sponsored by 28 Republican representatives, including Tennessee Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN-01), Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Chuck Fleischmann (R-TN-03), John Rose (R-TN-06), and Mark Green (R-TN-07). The resolution was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
“Violent crime continues to drastically increase in every major city nationwide. My Republican colleagues and I are committed to providing solutions that will keep dangerous criminals off our streets and out of our communities.” Representative Kustoff said in a statement. “This commonsense resolution identifies urgent issues that need to be addressed for the sake of public safety, as well as sends a strong message to our brave law enforcement that we are focused on upholding the rule of law. I thank my House and Senate colleagues for joining me in introducing this critical and timely resolution.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
