Blog
May 06 2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), along with eight other Senators, introduced the Protect and Serve Act — bipartisan legislation that would make knowingly causing or attempting to cause bodily injury to a law enforcement officer a federal crime.
Last week, four law enforcement officers were tragically killed in Charlotte, North Carolina, while executing an arrest warrant on a known fugitive. Three of the officers killed were part of the Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, which covers North and South Carolina, and the fourth officer killed was a deputy with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department who was responding to the scene.
“I’m very pleased to support Senator Tillis’ legislation to protect our men and women in blue,” said Senator Graham. “We should do everything we can to support law enforcement officers on the job. This bill would make it a federal crime to attack a police officer in the line of duty, in order to deter these types of attacks from occurring. Now is the time for America to be clear that we support law enforcement – not just by words, but by action.”
“Law enforcement officers in North Carolina and across the country are heroes who risk their lives every day to protect our communities,” said Senator Tillis. “Those who commit senseless acts of violence against law enforcement officers must be held accountable for their actions, which is why I am proud to reintroduce this legislation that creates federal penalties for criminals who target law enforcement. They put their lives on the line to protect us, and we should do the work in Congress to protect them.”
Graham and Tillis were joined by U.S. Senators Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Kevin Cramer (R- North Dakota), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Steve Daines (R-Montana), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia).
This law would apply to federal law enforcement officers and would also apply to state and local officers in circumstances where the federal government can establish jurisdiction over the case. The legislation was first introduced in 2020.
Full text of the bill is available HERE.
Background and support for the Protect and Serve Act:
The National Fraternal Order of Police reports as of December 31, 2023, there were 378 officers shot in the line of duty in 2023. Of those officers shot, 46 of them were killed. There were 115 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement officers last year. These ambush-style attacks resulted in 138 officers shot, 20 of whom were killed.
The Protect and Serve Act would address this problem by giving federal prosecutors the tools they need to hold accountable those who target law enforcement for assault and attacks. The Protect and Serve Act would support law enforcement officers by:
- Making it a federal crime to knowingly cause, or attempt to cause, bodily injury to a law enforcement officer. Offenders are subject to imprisonment for up to 10 years.
- An offender could receive a life sentence if a death results from the offense, or if the offense includes kidnapping, attempted kidnapping, or attempted murder.
The Protect and Serve Act has been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, Sergeant Benevolent Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, National Narcotic Officers' Associations' Coalition, and the National Association of Police Organizations.
“This legislation is a priority for the FOP and was drafted as a direct response to the increased number of targeted attacks on law enforcement officers by imposing, in very limited circumstances, Federal penalties on individuals who deliberately and violently attack local, State or Federal law enforcement officers,” said Patrick Yoes, National President of the Fraternal Order of Police. “As of 30 April 2024, 136 officers were shot in the line of duty, 20 of whom were killed. There have been 26 ambush-style attacks on law enforcement in which 34 officers were shot, six of whom were killed. We are grateful to Senator Tillis for leading the charge on this issue. We look forward to working with them to get this measure to the floor.”
“The tragedy in Charlotte, North Carolina on April 29 once again highlights the dangerous profession law enforcement officers have and the risks they face when serving and protecting their communities,” said Bill Johnson, Executive Director of the National Association of Police Organizations. “The shooting of those eight officers is just adding to the ever-increasing number of officers being shot in the line of duty. NAPO is calling on Congress to take up and pass the Protect and Serve Act to demonstrate that the killing or the attempted killing of our nation’s law enforcement officers is unacceptable and those who commit these heinous crimes must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We thank Senator Tillis for his commitment to and support for the law enforcement community.”
“In the face of a continued rise in attacks on our nation’s federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, the SBA is proud to once again support the Protect and Serve Act and urge Congress to expedite passage of this important legislation,” said President Vincent Vallelong of the Sergeants Benevolent Association of the New York City Police Department. “As we saw in the murder of NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller in March and this week in Charlotte with the senseless and brutal attack on members of a U.S. Marshals’ fugitive task force, law enforcement officers must maintain constant vigilance to the threats posed by those who seek to do them harm for nothing more than the badge and uniform they wear. That is why we are grateful for Sen. Tillis’ strong and consistent leadership in advancing this critical officer safety measure that will combat targeted violence against our members and officers across this country who protect and serve their communities.”
“The Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) is proud to support the Protect and Serve Act,” said Megan Noland, Executive Director of the Major County Sheriffs of America. “This legislation will ensure individuals who attack officers are held accountable and assist our efforts to deter further violence against law enforcement. We thank the sponsors for their leadership and stand ready to support all efforts to quickly advance this important legislation.”
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Apr 23 2024
Apr 23 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) led 25 Senate Republicans in sending a letter today to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, urging them to restore order to campuses that have been effectively shut down by anti-Semitic mobs that are targeting Jewish students. The Senators requested Attorney General Garland and Secretary Cardona provide an update on efforts to protect Jewish students by Wednesday, April 24.
The Senators wrote, “You need to take action to restore order and protect Jewish students on our college campuses. President Biden issued a statement on Sunday, purporting to condemn the outbreak of anti-Semitism. If that statement was serious, it must be accompanied by immediate action from your departments.”
They continued, “Espousing support for terrorists such as Hamas violates federal immigration law and is grounds for deportation. Please provide our offices with an update on your efforts to enforce these and related laws on college campuses as soon as practicable, but in any event not later than 5:00PM on Wednesday, April 24.”
The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-South Dakota), and Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina).
Full text of the letter may be found HERE.
Apr 22 2024
WASHINGTON – The United States Senate has passed a resolution sponsored by U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) commending the University of South Carolina (USC) women’s basketball team for winning the 2024 National Collegiate Athletics Association Women’s Basketball National Championship. The USC women’s basketball team went undefeated for the entire season with a 38-0 record. This is the Lady Gamecock’s third national championship win.
“I’m glad to have worked with Senator Scott to pass a resolution honoring the Lady Gamecocks’ tremendous season,” said Senator Graham. “They are now undefeated national champions and they make South Carolina proud.”
“The University of South Carolina Gamecocks women’s basketball team is a shining example of the success that can be achieved through selflessness, perseverance in the face of adversity, and commitment to excellence,” said Senator Scott. “Watching their championship was a thrill for all of us in the Palmetto State. They are the best of the best and make our state so proud!”
The resolution:
- Commends the University of South Carolina Gamecocks for winning the 2024 National Collegiate Athletic Association Women’s Basketball National Championship
- Recognizes the on-court and off-court achievements of the players, coaches, and staff of the University of South Carolina’s women’s basketball team
Full text of the resolution can be found HERE.
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Apr 17 2024
WASHINGTON – In November 2023, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) questioned Secretary Mayorkas on the Biden Administration’s use of immigration parole. In Fiscal Year 2023, there were over 800,000 immigrants paroled into the United States. Senator Graham asked Secretary Mayorkas if there was an individual analysis conducted for every person to determine whether each met at least one of the two criteria for parole, as required by law. Secretary Mayorkas replied that individual analysis was conducted on a case-by-case basis and that the Department “complied with the law.”
Yesterday, Senator Graham announced that according to DHS, Jose Antonio Ibarra, the man accused of murdering Laken Riley, was granted “parole due to detention capacity at the Central Processing Center in El Paso, Texas.”
Senator Graham today made this statement on Secretary Mayorkas giving false testimony to Congress.
“In November 2023, I questioned Secretary Mayorkas about how the administration is using immigration parole. Under oath, he assured me that DHS complied with the law, and that they were conducting individual analysis and not granting blanket parole.
“Yesterday, when Congressman Dan Bishop asked Secretary Mayorkas why Jose Ibarra, the man accused of murdering Laken Riley, was paroled into the country, Secretary Mayorkas refused to answer and said he would need to review the file.
“Now we have concrete proof that Secretary Mayorkas’ testimony about the parole system is false.
“On the same day that Secretary Mayorkas refused to answer Congressman Bishop, I was able to answer that question with information provided by Secretary Mayorkas’ own agency.
“According to DHS, Jose Ibarra was paroled into the country because of lack of ‘detention capacity at the Central Processing Facility in El Paso, TX.’
“You cannot parole someone into the United States because there is a lack of space at a detention facility. This is a flagrant violation of the law. The statute requires parole to be granted only on a case-by-case basis for urgent humanitarian need or significant public benefit to the United States. In Ibarra’s case, there was no individual analysis. He did not have an urgent humanitarian need and he did not provide significant public benefit to the country.
“The abuse of the parole system is one of the main reasons Secretary Mayorkas was impeached by the House of Representatives. Now we know Secretary Mayorkas gave false testimony to Congress, which only strengthens the case against him.
“The trial for Secretary Mayorkas may go away, but the broken border is not going to go away. We are going to tell the American people until we run out of breath that the system in place is broken, it is leading to the death of innocent Americans like Laken Riley, and the person who created the problem is President Joe Biden.”
Click Here To Watch Graham’s Remarks This Morning
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Apr 17 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made this statement after every Senate Democrat refused to even consider articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
“The policies of this administration, being carried out by Secretary Mayorkas, are illegal. The man charged with murdering Laken Riley was illegally released into the United States by the Department of Homeland Security.
“This is a topic that should have been debated in the Senate as we considered the articles of impeachment against Secretary Mayorkas.
“We had a chance today to finally hold someone accountable for the Americans who have been raped, murdered or injured as a result of the broken border. But Democrats swept this under the rug because they are more concerned with the upcoming elections than protecting the American people.
“Today’s exercise on the Senate floor gives kangaroo courts a bad name.
“This is a sad day for the Senate.”
Click Here to Watch Graham’s Remarks on the Senate Floor
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Apr 11 2024
WASHINGTON – Today, 43 Republican Senators sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) calling on the Senate to fulfill its constitutional duty by holding a trial to consider the impeachment of Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The Senators wrote, “Our brave men and women at Customs and Border Protection have worked tirelessly to make our nation safer, yet with 7.5 million encounters since President Biden took office, our southern border is a national security disaster. Encounters in fiscal year 2023 increased a startling 440% over fiscal year 2020. The border crisis under Secretary Mayorkas has become a nightmare for the American people.”
They continued, “The House of Representatives has considered this evidence and impeached Secretary Mayorkas. Our constitutional duty requires the Senate to hold a trial. In every previous congressional impeachment of the past 227 years, Congress has been faithful to the process set out by the framers… Never before has the Senate abandoned this duty, even when certain members believed the basis for impeachment was tenuous at best.”
The letter was led by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and also signed by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Katie Britt (R-Alabama), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Kevin Cramer (R-North Dakota), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Steve Daines (R-Montana), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Bill Hagerty (R-Tennessee), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), John Kennedy (R-Louisiana), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Pete Ricketts (R-Nebraska), James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Marco Rubio (R-Florida), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi), and Todd Young (R-Indiana).
Full text of the letter is HERE.
Apr 08 2024
Apr 04 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and Katie Britt (R-Alabama) today sent a letter to Majority Leader U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) and Minority Leader U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) requesting a classified, all-member briefing on the increasing threats to the homeland from radical Islamic terror groups, including ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIS that exists primarily in Afghanistan.
The Senators wrote, “As many experts have warned, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has created new threats and once again transformed the country into a safe haven and operational base for terrorist groups. Our nation cannot afford to continue adhering to a policy of inaction towards these threats…ISIS-K’s recent attacks further highlight their ability to strike around the globe. Their operations include a suicide bombing in Iran in January of 2024 and a massacre at a concert hall in Moscow in March. Further, ISIS-K planned attacks against civilians in Germany and the Netherlands were also thwarted. It is evident the potential and desire for strikes by ISIS-K around the globe, including against the United States, remains significant.”
“In light of this concern, we are requesting an all-member classified briefing on the rising threat of radical Islamic terror groups against the homeland and overseas targets, and an update on the Biden Administration’s over-the-horizon capabilities and strategy for Afghanistan no later than April 18th, 2024,” Graham and Britt concluded.
To read the full letter, click HERE.
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Mar 27 2024
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) today made the following statement on the passing of former U.S. Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut.
“Just heard of my dear friend Joe Lieberman’s passing.
“As I am just now leaving Israel, so many emotions. This is devastatingly sad.
“I feel fortunate to have been in his presence, traveling the world in support of America’s interests as we saw it.
“To Hadassah, I know your heart is broken, but please understand your legion of friends love you dearly. To the Lieberman family, we will be with you through this journey.
“I look forward to sharing more thoughts about this wonderful man and the incredible life he lived.
“The good news, he is in the hands of the loving God. The bad news, John McCain is giving him an earful about how screwed up things are.
“Rest in peace, my dear friend.
“From the Last Amigo.”
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