; Whereas law enforcement officers have bravely continued to meet the call of duty to ensure the security of their neighborhoods and communities at the risk of their own personal safety in the time of a viral pandemic; Whereas the resolve to service is clearly demonstrated by law enforcement officers across the country who have tragically fallen ill or passed away due to complications of COVID–19 contracted in the line of duty; Whereas understaffed police departments and undertrained police officers increase the risk of encounters that result in the use of force, including unjustifiable or excessive force; Whereas a coalition within the New York City Council proposed a $1 billion cut from the New York Police Department budget in the 2021 fiscal year; Whereas, two Hartford, Connecticut, City Council Members proposed a 25-percent across-the-board reduction for the Hartford Police Department Budget; Whereas, on June 11, 2020, the Austin, Texas, City Council voted to begin the process of defunding the Austin Police Department; Whereas, on June 12, 2020, the Minneapolis, Minnesota, City Council unanimously voted to abolish the Minneapolis Police Department, despite the fact that Minneapolis’s violent crime rate is one of the highest in the Nation; Whereas, on June 15, 2020, the Baltimore, Maryland, City Council approved an approximately $22 million budget cut for the Baltimore Police Department, despite the fact that Baltimore saw 348 murders in 2019 with over two-thirds remaining unsolved; Whereas, on June 16, 2020, the Los Angeles, California, City Council voted to study ways to cut the Los Angeles Police Department’s budget by $100 million to $150 million dollars; and Whereas defunding the police would leave police departments understaffed and undertrained, while also increasing the risk of violent crime to the communities of the United States, especially vulnerable communities: Now, therefore, be it