Congressman Kustoff speaks on ‘no’ vote to police reform bill

JACKSON, Tenn. — Thursday night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a police reform bill, after protests sweep the nation and West Tennessee demanding justice.

“We hear them loud and clear,” Rep. David Kustoff (R-District 8) said in a Zoom interview Friday.

The Bill (H.R. 7120) passed in the U.S. House of Representatives bans choke holds at the federal level, forbids no-knock warrants on federal drug cases, among other reforms.

“The bill in the house that was voted on yesterday, and passed pretty much on straight party lines,” Kustoff said, “unfortunately there was no negotiation between Republicans and Democrats.”

233 Democrats voted for it. Rep. David Kustoff was one of 180 Republicans to vote against it.

“It tied the hands of law enforcement to really effectively do their job, and I think that’s why you saw virtually every Republican vote against it,” Kustoff said, in defense of his choice.

He said he would have voted for the bill if qualified immunity was not reformed, among other issues. A Senate bill killed Wednesday did not address the issue.

“I think the better bill, as regards to reforms in the police world, would’ve been the bill authored by Sen. Tim Scott in the U.S. Senate,” Kustoff said.

But moving forward, Kustoff saisd there will have to be compromise to get something through the House and Senate to the President’s desk.

“Here’s an issue that a lot of Americans care about, and Washington has punted,” Kustoff said.

And, protestors have made it clear they will continue to fight for justice until it is served.

“That’s part of the democratic process, and we continue to listen, and we want to incorporate their ideas into effective legislation,” Kustoff said.

Kustoff also said that although the bill passed the House, it is unlikely to make its way through the Senate. Even then, the President said he would veto it.