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Floor Speech

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Mrs. MOODY. Mr. President, tomorrow is Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, and it was my intention to come to the floor today and talk about some great officers and celebrate the men and women that put their lives on the line to protect us every day. Indeed, I encourage every American across this great Nation to do just that, say thank you for signing up courageously for an often thankless job. But in light of recent events, I feel I must address a more pressing issue.

The horrific situation that occurred yesterday morning in Minnesota is tragic. Radical protestors intending to run over Federal immigration officers with cars, that cannot happen. In fact, protestors that show up with intent to harass or obstruct or impede or aggressively approach or violently assault officers, it cannot happen.

When they are doing their jobs, it is a precarious, often dangerous, situation. I can tell you that firsthand as the wife of a law enforcement officer. I beg anyone thinking about participating in this kind of behavior to think twice for all involved.

They must be given space to focus. It is a very dangerous situation in some of these missions and law enforcement activities. That is why I introduced the Halo Act back in November because, as I saw the threats of political violence, of threats against our law enforcement officers were rapidly increasing, I knew that we had to do something. And so I introduced the Halo Act so that one of these events wouldn't occur.

I don't know how officers are able to do their jobs with people impeding them and getting in their faces as they are trying to focus on executing their duties.

It is deeply troubling to hear the anti-law enforcement rhetoric being used by so many when it comes to Federal officers simply trying to show up and do the jobs that we, as a nation, hired them to do.

And what happened yesterday in terms of folks showing up with the intent to obstruct officers, that is not an isolated incident. It is part of this broader pattern of coordinated efforts, encouraged by elected politicians who keep increasing their rhetoric and almost encouraging--let me just take the ``almost'' out, encouraging people to get in the way of law enforcement officers trying to do their job, knowing how dangerous that is, not only dangerous for law enforcement officers but for those who show up and try to impede their efforts.

Elected Democrat officials right now are using radical rhetoric and encouraging people in their cities and their States to harass and obstruct officers. Many of them are even using taxpayer funds to help speak out and coordinate. According to the Department of Homeland Security, assaults on police are up 1,300 percent, death threats on police up 8,000 percent.

This alarming trend threatens public safety and the rule of law--the rule of law--and the expectation that we would support the men and women who uphold it. That is what is attracting people from around the United States of America to my home State, the great free State of Florida, because we support them. We protect our officers. In fact, we introduced legislation and passed legislation to give them a safety zone, a buffer zone to do their jobs and do them safely.

The Halo Act, which I introduced 2 months ago, will ensure that Federal officers can perform their duties without fear of intimidation, interference, or violence. The legislation would make it illegal for anyone, after being asked, told to stand back, to knowingly come within 25 feet of an officer who is doing their job if their intent is to interfere with the officer's work or threaten them with physical harm.

It is modeled after a law in Florida, and we know it will work. It will provide the necessary buffer zone to allow officers to focus on the execution of their duties, and that is what is safe for everyone.

Essentially, the bill would institute the zones and keep the officers safe. It would also make sure that this buffer zone or safety zone is there to protect others.

I implore my colleagues to join in this mission, in this proposed legislation, and cosponsor the Halo Act. It is obvious we must act now to protect these officers that protect us. And we must send a message that targeted attacks, interference with the duties of officers, threat, harm, violence against law enforcement must end. We owe it to our communities. We owe it to the brave people that sign up for these jobs to strengthen the protections around them.

Ahead of Law Enforcement Appreciation Day, we have to acknowledge that without the men and women that put on that badge every day, this would not be the country that we know. It is a fragile line between order and chaos, and the people that sign up to stand on that line, come what may, need to be protected, and this act would do just that.

I urge my colleagues to join me and support the Halo Act to have our officers' back, to ensure our communities are safe and that they can do their jobs.

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