Lawmakers Continue Police Reform, Infrastructure Talks

And Republicans prepare to oust Rep. Liz Cheney from leadership.

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Good morning. Congress is back from recess this week, and lawmakers have a lot on their plates. 

Police Reform

Talks are continuing this week in hope of reaching a bipartisan police reform package. 

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn made a significant move toward compromise over the weekend, saying on CNN Sunday that Democrats should be willing to accept a deal even if it does not include an end to qualified immunity, the legal doctrine that largely shields police officers from liability.

“I want to see good legislation, and I know that sometimes you have to compromise,” Clyburn, a South Carolina Democrat, said. “If you don’t get qualified immunity now, then we’ll come back and try to get it later, but I don’t want to see us throw out a good bill because we can’t get a perfect bill.”

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  1. Kevin Brady

    The details on police reform- and infrastructure legislation suggest that, despite all the toxicity on the Hill (and between everyday voters), the machinery keeps moving to find solutions to long-term problems. I'm being naïve here, I know that we have a whole lot of problems with how we're running the country, but call this is a tiny sliver of light.

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    rlritt

    "This is about our duty as Americans. Remaining silent and ignoring the lie emboldens the liar. I will not participate in that. I will not sit back and watch in silence, while others lead our party down a path that abandons the rule of law and joins the former president’s crusade to undermine our democracy."

    This speech is actually incredible. It will go down in history when Trump is gone.

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    Victor Clairmont

    All the best for the police reform effort, even if politics sunk it last time.

    It’s weird, we use to have a saying that politics is local.

    Pretty sure now with the advent of the internet, all politics are national now. Local is gone.

    It just takes one event confirming our biases to set the chain rolling these days in even the smallest of places. What should normally be your local country news, or state news, has the ability to leapfrog into the national news where 30 years ago it would never.

    The internet came too soon.

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    Earl King

    I read this and wondered if I have anything to say. Cell phones with cameras have been both a pariah and illuminating. The problem is we don't get context. In the case of knife wielding girl a cell phone video probably saved that officers job. In the case of George Floyd it removed a callous and indifferent officer from the police force. As for qualified immunity....what a dumb ass idea. I am a Paramedic...I would not do that job without immunity. Too many nuts and lawyers. I would never jeopardize my personal income...Same with cops. Democrats want to take a bulldozer to remove an ant hill.
    Not be callous but the incidents of unarmed blacks being killed is in the low to upper teens. Not the 1000's that many ignorant Americans imagine. I believe 19 in 2019...Anyway I can only remember one officer charged and convicted...The Texas officer who went in to the wrong apartment saw a black man and shot him thinking she was in her apartment. You will only recruit idiots to be cops if you remove qualified immunity. You'll never get the best and brightest. Can anyone name a criminal who does't think their arrest was wrong or overly aggressive? Likely not.

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      Pat Riot

      I don't think anybody is seriously talking about "removing" QI, only "reforming" it. I think your concerns would be pretty well heard by lawmakers in both parties.

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    Doug B.

    Haley, great newsletter. Appreciate the information. "Republicans and Democrats come together on important legislation" doesn't set twitter ablaze, but gives me hope that there are still some adults in Congress who want to legislate. This is the kind of content I subscribe to The Dispatch for.

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  6. Jason Runyan

    I've began watching the H.F.R.C. hearing on China. I recognize the irony in this statement, but I believe LeBron James, and other China defenders in the NBA, Hollywood, and other corporate butt kissers should be forced to watch this hearing, even if it means using the method used on Alex in A Clockwork Orange with the straight jacket and eye clamps.

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  7. Pogo

    Gotta give credit, this is probably one of the best (almost only?) explanations I've seen for why Republicans could plausibly want to cooperate on a physical infrastructure bill, knowing Democrats will still do their own thing later in reconciliation.

    Ultimately though, I'm still skeptical that they can get to a bipartisan deal, mostly because of the disagreement on paying for it. If both sides would agree to just deficit spend on it, I think that'd probably be for the best. Alternatively, maybe they can make the pay-for math work out with Biden's plan to juice the IRS' funding somehow? But barring that, I really don't think Biden/Ds will move on the gas tax because 'higher gas prices!!1!' are so politically toxic, and I don't really see Rs budging much on higher taxes for the rich/businesses.

    Also, I missed the Uyghur hearing- thanks for including it!

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      Kmregan7

      Biden is already being blamed for higher gas prices. My Republican relatives blamed him for higher gas prices the day, one day, after he was inaugurated. I don't know why he'd want to immediately hike gas prices, even if is HE supposedly a dictator.....

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  8. Alex DeLarge

    The Jan. 6 investigation is a pathetic sham. The only issue that needs to be investigated is why the Capitol Police stood aside and let unarmed protesters storm into the building. (Of course, randomly killing one woman for no particular reason is not to be mentioned at all in the sham hearing.) But instead, they now want to use Jan. 6 as an excuse for Congress to start its own private spy agency. Just another example of how it is impossible for Congress to ever do anything honestly or in good faith.

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    Robert Knudson

    Very glad to see the Will Hurd piece in the Atlantic linked. Hopefully he will be able to influence our national AI and cyberdefense policy from out of office.

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    Jerry Masters

    Ms. Wilt,
    Again, thank you for the crisp reporting---(important) news that, mercifully, refuses to entertain.
    And the (new) links from "Key Hearings." Solid.
    Finally "Something Wholesome" was also delightful.

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