Tim Scott: Democrats Want to Focus on the Issue, Not the ‘Solution’

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) said in his rebuttal to President Joe Biden on Wednesday night that Democrats too often want to focus on the issue rather than finding a solution.

Scott delivered the Republican rebuttal after Biden delivered his address to a joint session of Congress.

The South Carolina Republican chided Democrats for blocking his proposals on police reform.

“In 2015, after the shooting of Walter Scott, I wrote a bill to fund body cameras. Last year, after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, I wrote an even bigger police reform proposal. But, my Democratic colleagues blocked it,” the senator said.

“I extended an olive branch; I offered amendments, but Democrats used the filibuster to block the debate from even happening,” he said.

“My friends across the aisle seem to want the issue, more than they wanted a solution,” Scott said. “But, I’m still working; I’m hopeful that this will be different.”

“When America comes together, we’ve seen tremendous progress, but powerful forces want to pull us apart,” Scott said.

Police reform became an issue of increased interest for Congress after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor last year.

While Democrats proposed legislation that would have moved to eliminate qualified immunity, or legal protections for police officers, Scott tried to propose legislation that could pass through both chambers of Congress.

Sen. Angus King (I-ME), one of the three non-Republicans who voted to advance Scott’s legislation, chided his Democrat colleagues for voting against its advancement.

King said “voting against it will end the discussion of this subject in the Senate for the foreseeable future, and leave us with nothing to show for all the energy and passion that has brought this issue to the forefront of public consciousness.”