Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Catch up on the day's biggest business stories
Subscribe to Axios Closer for insights into the day’s business news and trends and why they matter
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Sign up for Axios NW Arkansas
Stay up-to-date on the most important and interesting stories affecting NW Arkansas, authored by local reporters
House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) pushed back on the idea of defunding the police on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, insisting that "police have a role to play" and that the system can be restructured and reimagined in order to respond to the current crisis.
Why it matters: Clyburn is the highest-ranking African American in Congress and an important voice in the effort to reform policing at the federal level. He and other Democratic leaders, including Joe Biden, have voiced opposition to the idea of defunding or abolishing police departments pushed by activists in recent weeks.
What he's saying:
Nobody is going to de-fund the police. We can restructure the police forces. Restructure, re-imagine policing. That is what we are going to do. The fact of the matter is that police have a role to play. What we've got to do is make sure that their role is one that meets the times, one that responds to these communities that they operate in. ... This is a structure that has been developed that we have got to deconstruct. So I wouldn't say defund. Deconstruct our policing.— Rep. Clyburn
The big picture: House Democrats unveiled a sweeping police reform bill last week that aims to broaden police accountability, reimagine police training, and ban chokeholds and the use of no-knock warrants in drug cases, among other things. They're aiming to pass the package by the end of June.
Driving the news: Clyburn condemned the shooting of Rayshard Brooks, a black man who was killed by an Atlanta police officer on Friday night after resisting arrest.
- "This did not call for lethal force," Clyburn said. "And I don't know what's in the culture that would make this guy do that. It has got to be the culture, it's got to be the system."
Go deeper: Black Lives Matter co-founder explains "Defund the police" slogan