Backing the Blue
By Rep. Dusty Johnson
May 17, 2024
BIG Update
It’s Police Week and the House passed several bills this week to show our support for law enforcement officers. Our men and women in blue sacrifice greatly to protect our communities, whether that is by the border, in Washington, D.C., or on reservations. Here’s a few bills I voted on to support those in blue:
- Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to include the assault of a law enforcement officer as grounds for detention and deportation.
- Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act to ensure we have the most accurate information on the impact attacks on our officers have on their mental health.
- A resolution to condemn violence against law enforcement officers and condemn calls to defund the police.
- A resolution to condemn President Biden’s border crisis and the dangers and burdens it has created for America’s law enforcement officers.
We must do more to support and protect our men and women in blue so we can keep our communities safe.
BIG Idea
Engineers play an outsized role in building and designing our infrastructure. I met with Doug and Nancy with the American Council of Engineering Companies of South Dakota, which has received the Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award for the third year in a row. We talked about the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, which I voted for when it passed the House, the surface transportation bill, and the workforce needs of engineering firms.
BIG News
Last week, President Biden announced he will be withholding weapons to Israel, even though Congress recently passed an aid package a couple weeks ago to ensure our greatest ally in the Middle East can continue to defend itself against the terrorist group Hamas. This week, I voted to pass the Israel Security Assistance Support Act to condemn President Biden’s pause on sending resources to Israel and require the expeditious delivery of approved defense services. If resources are withheld and Israel is not able to remove Hamas, we risk continued turmoil in the Middle East. I will continue to support Israel in Congress. We can’t let Israel down in their time of need.
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