Washington, D.C.—Today, the Biden Administration announced the Safer America Plan, a budget proposal that aims to make communities safer by investing in community policing, crime prevention, and a fairer criminal justice system. Part of President Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget, the plan outlines investments to make streets safer, support effective policing methods and address the root causes of crime, including mental health and substance use disorders. The plan also calls for commonsense steps to “keep dangerous firearms out of dangerous hands.” Below is a statement welcoming the plan from Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors:
“The U.S. Conference of Mayors applauds President Biden for this commitment to working with local leaders to address crime and make the investments needed to create safer communities. Especially important for mayors is the $13 billion over five years it would provide to hire 100,000 more police officers. Mayors continue to do everything they can in their cities to fight crime, but a strong federal-local partnership like this is critical to address its root causes. Strong effective policing is important, but so too are initiatives to prevent crime before it happens, reform our justice system, and strengthen our gun laws, through provisions such as an assault weapon ban. With this plan, President Biden has put forward comprehensive solutions that both parties can support, and America’s mayors urge members of Congress to adopt it.”