Biden wants $350 billion to police.

Cambridge MA

Description

Announcing his five-point strategy at the White House on Wednesday, the president urged cities and states to use $350bn (£250bn) of funding from a Covid-19 relief bill on public safety efforts, including adding more police officers, even beyond pre-pandemic levels. "It means more police officers, more nurses, more counsellors, more social workers or community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes," the president said. Some members of Mr Biden's party have amplified calls by Black Lives Matter activists to defund the police, though the president himself has resisted the slogan, which is unpopular with most voters. Mr Biden - who as a senator wrote a 1994 crime bill widely blamed for mass incarceration of black people - said on Wednesday: "This is not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement or our communities."