Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) delivered a passionate speech against the “defund the police” movement.
On Tuesday night, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) called on his colleagues to support an amendment he introduced, saying opposing it “is a vote in support of defunding the police and against the men and women in blue.”
Following Tuberville’s remarks, Booker came out with passion in his speech, saying, “Madam President! I am so excited! This is perhaps the highlight of this long and painful and torturous night. This is a gift. If it wasn’t [a] complete abdication of Senate procedures and esteem, I would walk over there and hug my colleague from Alabama.”
He continued, “I will tell you right now, thank God, because there are some people who’ve said that there are members of this deliberative body that want to defund the police, to my horror. And now, this senator has given us the gift of finally, once and for all we can put to bed this scurrilous accusation that somebody in this great esteemed body would want to defund the police.”
The Democratic senator called on his colleagues to “sashay down there and vote for this amendment”:
“So let’s all us – a hundred people – not walk, but sashay down there and vote for this amendment and put to rest the lies that I am sure I will see no political ads attacking anybody here over defund the police. And I would ask unanimous consent to add something else to this obvious bill. Can we add also that every senator here wants to fund the police, believes in God, country, and apple pie?”
The Senate unanimously passed the amendment 99-0, adopting it to Senate Democrats’ $3.5 trillion budget resolution.
Watch the video below:
VIRAL MOMENT: Cory Booker gives a highly energetic response to Tommy Tuberville's "scurrilous" defund the police accusation in elated Senate floor remarks: "I am so excited!… If it wasn't complete abdication of Senate procedures, I would walk over there and hug my colleague!" pic.twitter.com/FAIdZnkxTu
— Forbes (@Forbes) August 11, 2021
Tuberville’s amendment “would reduce or eliminate federal funding to local governments that defund law enforcement departments,” his press release on Tuesday reads.
“My amendment is simple: if a city council believes the ‘woke’ thing to do is to cancel the police department, then they shouldn’t expect the federal government to bail them out,” he said in a statement.
After Tuesday’s vote, Tuberville said that “all Senate Democrats [pounced] at [the] chance to distance themselves from ‘Defund Police’ rhetoric.”
All Senate Democrats Pounce at Chance to Distance Themselves from ‘Defund Police’ Rhetoric pic.twitter.com/C3MarStn9b
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) August 11, 2021
Early Wednesday, the Senate passed a budget resolution along party lines, 50-49, which will direct “committees to craft a bill that would spend up to $3.5 trillion on climate initiatives, paid leave, child care, education and health care,” as CNBC reports.