Ronna McDaniel condemns Paul Pelosi attack, criticizes Democratic crime policies
It was the day after the November election when House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California called Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin’s “radical” new budget plan a “nightmare” and a “disaster.”
And now, in an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” she is calling on House Democratic leaders to stop blocking proposed crime-fighting legislation known as the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2011.
The bill, known by its nickname, was crafted by Ryan and Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., and is part of the House Democratic strategy of using a rare procedural maneuver – the suspension of rules — to force the Senate to take up a bill that they say has been “left on the shelf.” It would require the federal government to help states create safety nets for the victims of crime and to prevent repeat offenses.
At an event in New York, Pelosi, Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Ray Lucido, D-Fla., said the federal government needs to do more to help crime victims and victims of violence against children.
“There has to be comprehensive, meaningful reform on every front — sentencing and corrections reform, criminal justice policy, and safety net programs,” Pelosi said.
She later told reporters the United States has “not done enough to prevent crime” and that the U.S. has been slow to respond to the threat of violent crime.
“When we talk about our broken criminal justice system, we must make sure that we don’t say we’re going to fix it, but we’re going to do it piecemeal,” Pelosi said. “And with the Justice Safety Valve Act of 2011, we’ll be able to put in place a policy of comprehensive reform, which not only helps the victims