(Video: Fox News)
The House of Representatives voted to approve added security for families of Supreme Court justices after more than a month of delays, but unlike the unanimous approval from the Senate, the lower chamber still found cause to put partisanship ahead of common sense with 27 members voting against the bill.
On Tuesday, almost a full week after a 26-year-old suspect was arrested for threatening to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the House passed the Supreme Court Police Parity Act of 2022 by a vote of 396-27 and it is now set to be sent to President Joe Biden. Those opposed were exclusively Democrats including many outspoken members of the progressive wing of the party.
Nearly all members of the “Squad” voted against the added protections including Reps. Jamaal Bowman (NY), Cori Bush (MO), Ayanna Pressley (MA), Rashida Tlaib (MI), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY).
According to Fox News, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) explained the delay as relating to a desire to add further protections as set forth in an alternative bill proposed by Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ). Stanton’s legislation would have gone further than the initial measure by extending security to court employees, including clerks.
Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) expressed that that would not make it through the Senate, “The security issue is related to Supreme Court justices, not nameless staff that no one knows.”
911 tapes from murder attempt on Kavanaugh released, AOC brags about stalling protection for justices https://t.co/RiM4EULRax pic.twitter.com/XgESgBnZiq
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) June 11, 2022
Ocasio-Cortez had stood firm about opposing the measure in light of the threat against Kavanaugh as she tried to use the safety of the court as a bargaining chip to promote her desired gun control legislation.
“I wake up this morning and I start to hear murmurs that there is going to be an attempt to pass the Supreme Court Supplemental Protection Bill the day after gun safety legislation for schools and kids and people is stalled,” she said. “Oh, so we can pass protections for us and here easily, right? But we can’t pass protections for everyday people? I think not.”
Asked by @MariannaReports why she voted against increased SCOTUS security, @AOC said the bill sends the wrong message. "It's just preposterous how quickly this body will move to protect itself, and how slowly we move to protect children and people in grocery stores," said AOC.
— Pablo Manríquez (@PabloReports) June 15, 2022
Ocasio-Cortez reportedly maintained that stance in her vote against the legislation and was cited as saying, “It’s just preposterous how quickly this body will move to protect itself, and how slowly we move to protect children and people in grocery stores.”
However, the New York lawmaker’s claim that Congress moved swiftly to remedy this lapse in security is far from the truth. According to a 2021 report from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) the United States Marshals Service (USMS), which is tasked with the defense of the American justice system, lacked the resources necessary to combat threats that had spiked by 81 percent since 2016.
By 2020, the USMS had well over 30,000 officials to protect across 94 districts, including federal prosecutors, court officials, and federal judges while performing their duties. “While the USMS has recently undertaken several important initiatives to address shortcomings in its judicial security capabilities, the USMS continues to face several serious challenges in its effort to fulfill its statutory responsibilities in this area.”
Sens. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) and Mark Warner (D-VA) were reportedly looking to add $10.3 million in funding to the USMS and $9 million to the Supreme Court Police.
Here is the full list of lawmakers who voted ‘no’:
Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y.
Rep. Chuy Garcia, D-Ill.
Rep. Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas
Rep. Joshua Gottheimer, D-N.J.
Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz.
Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.
Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich.
Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.
Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J.
Rep. Marie Newman, D-Ill.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J.
Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo.
Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J.
Rep. Albio Sires, D-N.J.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
Rep. Norma Torres, D-Calif.,
Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J.
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Northeast PA with his fiancé and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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