Biden to propose spending $37B to fight crime, hire more police officers

President Biden will travel to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Thursday where he will outline his plan to prevent violent crime and hire more police officers.

President Biden will visit Wilkes University where he is expected to call on Congress to spend around $37 billion on his anti-crime program. The money would include $13 billion to help communities across the nation hire and train 100,000 police officers over five years.

Senior Biden administration officials outlined parts of Biden’s proposal ahead of the formal announcement. They said his plan will also include $3 billion to help clear court backlogs and resolve cases involving murders and guns. The president also wants to use $15 billion to create a grant program that would fund ideas for preventing violent crime or creating a public health response to nonviolent incidents, aimed at reducing the burden on law enforcement.

The remaining $5 billion would support programs intended to stop violence before it occurs.

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Biden’s proposal comes as Republicans are trying to gain leverage in November’s midterm elections by portraying Democrats as unwilling to confront crime.

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“Tomorrow you will hear President Biden drive a clear contrast with congressional Republicans,” a senior Biden administration official said. “You will hear him outline how he and Congressional Democrats have funded the police and taken action to fight crime.”

After speaking at Wilkes-Barre, the president is expected to attend a fundraiser for the Democratic National Committee in Philadelphia before he heads to his private home in Wilmington, Delaware, for a long weekend.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.