{"id":136442,"date":"2020-07-21T16:54:13","date_gmt":"2020-07-21T16:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/07\/21\/senate-rejects-broad-limit-on-military-equipment-to-police\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:24:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:24:55","slug":"senate-rejects-broad-limit-on-military-equipment-to-police","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/07\/21\/senate-rejects-broad-limit-on-military-equipment-to-police\/","title":{"rendered":"Senate rejects broad limit on military equipment going to police"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The Republican-controlled Senate rejected a bipartisan measure to block the military from giving offensive surplus equipment to state and local U.S. police departments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senate voted 51-49 on the proposed amendment to the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The action comes amid civil unrest<\/a> and a national debate over race<\/a> and policing in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s death \u2015 and amid lobbying from police organizations to maintain the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amendment from Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, was to ban transfers of grenade launchers, bayonets, drones, tracked armored vehicles, and high-powered firearms and ammunition, but not prohibit defensive equipment, like body armor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Senate voted 90-10 to adopt a narrower amendment that would would ban some lethal equipment \u2014 like weaponized, tracked vehicles and drones as well as lethal grenades. The amendment also added training requirements in deescalation techniques and protecting citizens\u2019 constitutional rights for those who receive the equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\t