WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Representative John Rose (TN-6) spoke on the House Floor Wednesday on the uptick in violent crime across the country.

The full speech, as prepared for delivery, is below:

Mister Speaker, I rise today to address the violence plaguing so many American communities.

2021 was a historic year for crime in major cities like New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington D.C. And this year is on track to be even worse. Homicides alone are up nearly 50% nationwide from 2020.

We’ve seen more than 80 inexcusable acts of violence against pro-life pregnancy centers and churches in recent months. 178 police officers have tragically been shot so far this year, with 33 of them losing their lives. It’s no wonder so many are retiring or resigning; 1,500 men and women in blue have stepped down from the NYPD alone.

Congressional Democrats need to take a stand against those in their party who push radical soft-on-crime policies such as defunding the police and instead leave “wokeness” behind to support our men and women of law enforcement to the fullest extent possible.

You can watch the full speech here.

Original source can be found here.