Statement on Senate Action on Anticrime Legislation

The United States Senate made history today. The long, hard wait is finally over, and the American people are going to get the action against crime they have been demanding for over 6 years.

I want to thank the members of both parties, in the House and Senate, who answered the call of ordinary Americans to get this job done.

With a little good faith and a lot of hard work, Republicans and Democrats overcame the partisan divisions and false choices that have blocked anticrime efforts time and time again.

And because they did, children will be safer and parents will breathe a little easier. Police officers will no longer be threatened by gangs and thugs with easy access to deadly assault weapons designed only for war. Violent criminals are going to learn quickly that the revolving door on our prisons has been locked and bolted shut.

This crime bill is going to make every neighborhood in America safer, and the bipartisan spirit that produced it should give every American hope that we can come together to do the job they sent us here to do.