Biden seeking $37B for fighting crime, hiring more police
President Joe Biden is proposing to spend roughly $37 billion for fighting and preventing crime
Support truly
independent journalism
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
President Joe Biden is proposing to spend roughly $37 billion for fighting and preventing crime, including $13 billion to help communities hire and train 100,000 police officers over five years.
Biden will outline his anti-crime program on Thursday during a visit to Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The Democratic president will request the money from Congress as part of his latest budget proposal, according to senior administration officials who previewed the plan on the condition of anonymity ahead of the formal announcement.
Republicans are trying to gain leverage in November’s midterm elections by portraying Democrats as unwilling to confront crime problems.
As part of Biden’s plans, $3 billion would be geared toward clearing court backlogs and resolving cases involving murders and guns. The president also wants to use $15 billion to create a grant program that would fund ideas for preventing violent crime or creating a public health response to nonviolence incidents, aimed at reducing the burden on law enforcement.
The remaining $5 billion would support programs intended to stop violence before it occurs.
After speaking in Wilkes-Barre, Biden is scheduled to attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Philadelphia. Then he’s expected to spend a long weekend in Wilmington, Delaware.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.