Halo Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. MOODY. Mr. President, last week, across America we were shocked, astonished, gutted. The night before our Nation paused to give thanks for the blessings in our lives--the night before Thanksgiving--two of our country's finest were shot down mere blocks away from the White House. Two young National Guardsmen, who had served their country like the Presiding Officer, who were doing their jobs of keeping us safe, were ambushed by a gunman here on asylum.

It was 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom who tragically perished from her injuries and 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe who remains in critical, yet stable condition.

We all in the Senate and across America continue to pray for these guardsmen, for Andrew's recovery, and for their families and loved ones.

After the suspect started firing--and many missed the news on this--a National Guard major who was just doing his rounds was nearby, checking on other troops. He started running toward the gunfire, and all he had was a pocketknife. I would like to think everyone in this room would have the immediate response to do the same, but I think we would all pause and question: Would you, with a pocketknife, run toward gunfire to protect others?

There are heroes in this Nation who sign up to do that, like the Presiding Officer, who say that they will put their safety behind others. They will stand as a guardsman of their fellow countrymen, and that is what this man did. He rushed toward danger to protect other people. I am so grateful that there are heroes like him in our country.

Last week--just a few days ago--in my home State of Florida, Sergeant Erik LeVasseur, from Port St. Lucie, while doing his job as a law enforcement officer, was shot in the face when he responded to a call for help. These attacks, threats, and harassment cannot begin to feel commonplace in our country--not in our States, not in our cities. We cannot get used to this, and we should always be outraged when they occur.

Unfortunately, a tragedy like this is happening time and time again in a growing stream of incidents across our country, wherein our Nation's guardians, with whatever badge they wear and whatever oath they have taken--from our guardsmen to our Federal law enforcement, to our State law enforcement heroes--are being targeted.

Then I hear dire language from the speaker before me--using the term ``death warrant'' as it related to an issue--but they won't fully engage and stand up against those who are supporting groups that are targeting our heroes.

An attack on those who enforce our Nation's laws is an attack on what this country was built on. It is an attack on the people's law. Indeed, it is an attack on the rule of law.

Over the last 10 months, our Federal officers and agents have faced a dangerously escalating pattern of violence, ranging from hitting, spitting, kicking, and biting during arrests to vehicle-ramming, open gunfire, and throwing Molotov cocktails--all because they are doing their jobs that they took an oath to do to protect other human beings. From January 21, 2024, through November 21, 2024, there were only 19 recorded assaults against ICE law enforcement. At the same time this year, ICE law enforcement has faced 238 reported assaults. It is a 1,153-percent increase in assaults on those law enforcement officers.

These nationwide incidents show how officers are being targeted because of the badge they wear, because of the oath they take. And you know in many, many instances, they are going after people who have repeatedly harmed American citizens. The attacks are not just on the enforcement operations; they are an attack on the officers themselves.

Incredibly, incredibly radical, Democrat-led cities and States in this country are using taxpayer money to encourage the harassment and obstruction of our law enforcement officers in the United States of America.

I just introduced the Halo Act to protect Federal officers while they conduct their official duties, and I am proud to say that this week, more of my colleagues have signed up to cosponsor this important legislation. They have said: No more. Our heroes have to be able to do their jobs to protect us without feeling threatened in the execution of their duties.

The legislation would make it illegal for anyone, after being told to stay back, to knowingly come within 25 feet of a Federal officer that is trying to do their job if the intent is to interfere with the officer's work or threaten physical harm.

You know, personally, I am the wife of a law enforcement officer. It is incredibly dangerous, as they are trying to execute official duties, to have people interfere with them. The distraction of not being totally focused on what they are doing endangers not only them but those around them, and we have seen that happen in this country.

I expect every one of the colleagues in this U.S. Senate to speak out against that, to stand up for the people we ask to take an oath to stand in harm's way to protect us. It is the very least they could do-- to use words of support for them. My guess is you will hear utter silence on that side of the Chamber.

This act is modeled after something we have done in my great home State of Florida, where we are the most pro-law enforcement State in the Nation. I was proud to say that, and I worked towards that in my time as attorney general in the great State of Florida. That is why not only are we leading in the Nation in people wanting to move to our State for protection, the people who are doing that protection, our law enforcement officers, are coming from all over this Nation, uprooting their families, to be Florida heroes because they know we have their back. We need to do that for all of our heroes across this Nation, and it needs to start right here in the Senate.

It takes a truly special person to answer that call, whether that is in our military or in our law enforcement professions--and I am proud to be the wife of a law enforcement officer--to be the one that runs towards danger to help others like that courageous National Guard major last week.

They shouldn't be worried while they are doing their jobs unnecessarily by people wanting to target them or attack them. Indeed, if it weren't for our Nation's heroes, our society would fail, our rule of law could not exist.

I came here to DC to fight for these heroes like you, and it is a battle. There are those that will stand up and fight for our heroes, and there are those that will not even remain just silent, they will actively work against them and support groups that are targeting them. It is battle, and it is one we must win. There is not an option.

For our heroes' sake, for our country's sake, for the success of this great American experiment, living as a free man under the rule of law, I urge my colleagues to have our officers' backs while they cover ours.

I hope they will join me in supporting my Halo Act.

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