US President Donald Trump is set to meet with faith leaders law enforcement officers and small business owners Thursday in D
U. S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with faith leaders, law enforcement officers and small business owners Thursday in Dallas, Texas, as he considers potential responses to nationwide protests that followed the death in police custody of African American man George Floyd.
The White House said the roundtable discussion would cover « solutions to historic economic, health and justice disparities in American communities. »
White House spokesperson Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Wednesday that both legislative proposals and executive orders are under consideration, and that the administration is looking to deliver them « in the coming days. »
One proposal Trump does not support is altering the so-called qualified immunity doctrine that helps shield law enforcement officers from civil lawsuits.
« That’s a nonstarter in the Democratic legislation, » McEnany said.
Leaders in the majority-Democrat House of Representatives have introduced legislation seeking overhauls in the country’s policing laws, aiming to broaden police accountability, track officers through a national police misconduct registry and end the practice of transferring military equipment to police departments across the nation.
The Republican-led Senate is working on its own package, and the Senate Judiciary Committee is set to hold a hearing on the issue next week.
The House Judiciary Committee held its own hearing Wednesday, at which Floyd’s brother, Philonise, urged lawmakers to approve legislation restricting the use of force by police.
City and state leaders have already instituted their own changes, including banning the use of chokeholds, pledging to shift funding from police departments to community programs, and setting up commissions to review complaints of police misconduct.
