By Sarah Sinning
WASHINGTON — In his first State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Biden took a strong stance against the “defund the police” movement, drawing cheers from both sides of the aisle, The New York Post reports.
“We should all agree: The answer is not to defund the police,” the president said to a standing ovation. “The answer is to fund the police with the resources and training they need to protect our communities.”
Biden also used his annual platform to pay tribute to NYPD Officers Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera, who were shot and killed in the line of duty in January.
“I spoke with their families and told them that we are forever in debt for their sacrifice,” he said, “and we will carry on their mission to restore the trust and safety every community deserves.”
But in order to do that, Biden said, the nation needs to "[Invest] in crime prevention and community police officers who’ll walk the beat, who’ll know the neighborhood, and who can restore trust and safety.”
“Let’s not abandon our streets. Or choose between safety and equal justice,” he said.
NEXT: A letter to the American public: Here’s what real police reform looks like