House Committee on Oversight and Reform Ranking Member James Comer (R-Ky.) opened today’s hearing by condemning violence in all forms and warned against ignoring facts about the increase in crime in the United States. He emphasized that crime and violence has increased across the United States because of the defund the police movement and soft-on-crime policies. Ranking Member Comer concluded his remarks by calling to reverse these dangerous policies in order to make the streets of America’s cities and towns safe again. 

Below are Ranking Member Comer’s prepared remarks.

Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney.

Thank you to our witnesses who have joined us today for our last full committee hearing under Chairwoman Maloney’s tenure.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the Colorado and Florida shooting victims’ families and friends.

No one should have to experience what you all have experienced.

Let me state clearly—as we have consistently said—Republicans condemn violence in all forms.

Unfortunately, Democrats are using Committee time and resources today to blame Republicans for this horrendous crime.

This is not an oversight hearing. This is a “blame Republicans so we don’t have to take responsibility” for our own defund the police and soft on crime policies.

Just a quick review of the facts tells us the individual responsible for these heinous crimes was not a stranger to law enforcement. In fact, the shooter was arrested last year for violent threats against their mother. 

And no doubt about it, this individual has a sad and troubled past with no parental support.

But Democrats, as usual, have intentionally jumped to conclusions while ignoring the facts.

Why? Because it is politically convenient to blame your political opponents. 

It is easier to blame Republicans than have a serious discussion about the rise in violent crime across the nation, including this individual’s horrendous crimes at Club Q in Colorado.

It is easier, but it is also irresponsible and reckless.

Instead, we should be focused on the alarming rise in violent crime across our country today—crime that targets all races and ethnicities.

We are seeing rises in threats and crimes across many communities and institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Asian communities, Jewish communities, and Christian communities.

Churches and pro-life institutions are facing a historic increase in violence and targeted attacks, which go largely under-reported.

The Department of Justice has remained fairly silent, as well.

The rise in crime in America is the second largest concern for Americans—second only to this Administration’s inflation crisis.

Recent data shows that violent crime increased by 4.2 percent nationwide over the first six months of 2022.

In New York, violent crime increased more than 40 percent compared to 2021.  

In Los Angeles, homicides reached their highest levels in 15 years during the first half of 2020.

In New Orleans, homicides increased by 40 percent.

In D.C., homicides went up 14 percent from 2020 to 2021.

Crime is simply out-of-control in large Democrat-led cities.

The extent of the rise in crime, however, may be even worse than the current data shows.

Recent reporting revealed that the FBI’s national crime data for 2021 was largely incomplete, lacking data from 37 percent of law enforcement agencies nationwide.

The FBI’s national crime data does not even include full crime reports from New York and Los Angeles, two of the largest and crime-stricken cities in the country.

On this Committee, we should be using our time and resources to conduct oversight into the rise in violent crimes committed against all Americans and organizations.

Everyday Americans, no matter what side of the aisle, are living in a high crime environment. 

Democrats’ Defund the Police movement has successfully taken resources from and crushed the morale of police forces across the country.

Without the police, we lose our first line of defense for victims of all crime.

In addition, Democrats have focused on electing leftist prosecutors with soft-on-crime policies and allowing crime to run rampant in the United States. 

No one wants to see horrific events like what happened in Colorado and Florida occurring in America.

More needs to be done to reverse soft-on-crime policies and re-fund the police to make the streets of America’s cities and towns safe. 

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today, especially about the spike in crime across the country, under-policing, and increase in violence against all Americans.

Thank you, Chairwoman Maloney, and I yield back.

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