; Whereas law enforcement officers have been run over, shot, hit with objects, and stabbed attempting to maintain peace and the rule of law during the violent protests following George Floyd’s death; Whereas the New York Post reported on June 8, 2020, that more than 700 Federal, State, and local law enforcement officers have been injured during protests resulting from George Floyd’s death; Whereas progressive politicians and interest groups have responded to this violence with calls to defund law enforcement agencies across the Nation; Whereas defunding or otherwise handcuffing law enforcement officers will make officers less likely to intervene in dangerous situations and will result in law enforcement pulling back from the neighborhoods they are entrusted to protect; Whereas violent crime increases when law enforcement is forced to withdraw from neighborhoods; Whereas, on May 31, 2020, 18 people were murdered in Chicago; Whereas over the course of the full weekend, 85 Chicagoans were shot, 24 fatally, as residents experienced the deadliest weekend in the city’s history as police withdrew from the neighborhoods to deal with violent rioting; Whereas, for the month of June 2020, New York City reported steep increases in violent crime, including a 130.3-percent increase in shooting incidents, a 30-percent spike in murders, and a 118.2-percent rise in burglaries as police faced a stiff round of budget cuts and reduced support from local officials; Whereas Minneapolis has seen a 55-percent increase in homicides this year as Minneapolis City Council officials continue pushing to dismantle the city’s police department while hiring private security details for their own personal protection; and Whereas efforts to defund police departments will cause irreparable and lasting damage to the Nation: Now, therefore, be it