Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is blaming Democrats’ efforts to defund police for a 29% jump in the murder rate in 2020.
His comments came after The New York Times reported that data gathered by the FBI for its annual Uniform Crime Report showed the biggest spike in murders since record-keeping began in 1960.
Scott tweeted: “As Democrats pushed the radical defund the police movement, the U.S. murder rate rose (nearly) 30% in 2020. Their abandonment of law enforcement is disgusting. I’ll always fight to support our heroic law enforcement who keep America’s families & communities safe.”
In a statement issued by his office, Scott continued to rip Democrats for the jump in the murder rate.
“The Democrats’ celebration of violent riots in cities across the United States throughout 2020, and complete abandonment of law and order and lack of support for the brave men and women in law enforcement has had horrific consequences,” he said.
Scott maintained the spike in the murder rate “shows just how tragic the cost to American communities can be when radical movements like defund the police take effect. We can never forget, these aren’t just statistics, these are Americans who have been lost due to a rash of violence in Democrat-run cities and states across our nation.”
The data collected also indicated that murders continue to rise in 2021, although at a slower rate, and that the national rate – murders per 100,000 – remains below its levels in the early 1990s.
Scott added: “As Washington’s radical Left continues to drive their extremist agenda that’s endangering our communities, I won’t let them defund or disarm our hardworking police. Now more than ever, I will do everything in my power to ensure America’s law enforcement gets the support and respect they deserve to keep our families safe.”
