Ranking Member Lee, Subcommittee Democrats: “Democrats will not be seat fillers nor help Republicans hide behind Police Week”
Washington, D.C. (May 14, 2025)—After Chairman Higgins and Oversight Republicans declined to hold a hearing under normal Committee procedure, refused to honor the Minority’s right to invite their own witness, and rejected the Minority’s demand for equal participation in Subcommittee events, Rep. Summer L. Lee, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Federal Law Enforcement, led Subcommittee Democrats in refusing to attend Republicans’ one-sided roundtable.
Ranking Member Lee and Subcommittee Democrats issued the following joint statement:
“By refusing to hold a hearing under House Rules or allow Democrats to invite a panelist to substantively participate in today’s roundtable, Chairman Higgins and Republicans have shown they are not interested in a ‘bipartisan’ discussion or any meaningful engagement on this subject. Democrats will not be seat fillers nor help Republicans hide behind Police Week to distract from the Trump Administration’s termination of law enforcement grants and constant attacks on public safety programs or House Republicans’ own Budget that decreases the take home pay and steals the promised retirement benefits of federal law enforcement officers to subsidize tax giveaways for billionaires,” wrote the Members. “We remain willing to engage on this critical topic in a bipartisan manner and encourage Republicans to allow this Subcommittee to convene actual hearings to conduct the comprehensive oversight the law enforcement community—and the American people—deserve.”
Yesterday, Subcommittee Democrats sent a letter to Chairman Higgins highlighting the one-sided, partisan nature of the roundtable and expressing their strong desire to attend a good faith, bipartisan hearing governed by House Rules.
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