Ciscomani Blasts Schumer for Not Passing High-Speed Chase Bill

Despite having bipartisan support when it passed the House at the end of January, Representative Juan Ciscomani's (R-AZ) Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act has been sitting in the Senate ever since. The Arizona Congressman discussed the process of passing the bill in a recent appearance on Our America, expressing optimism for the bill's Senate passage.

"Proud to have my bill, H.R. 5585, The Agent Raul Gonzalez Officer Safety Act pass the House! I remain committed to finding common-sense, bipartisan solutions to solving this issue," Rep. Ciscomani posted to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

The Arizona Congressman introduced the bill last September, which would toughen penalties for refusing to yield a vehicle while being chased by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and other law enforcement into a federal crime. Additionally, killing someone during the apprehension would be a life sentence.

Rep. Ciscomani named the bill after Border Patrol Agent Raul Gonzalez, who was killed in a high-speed chase pursuing illegal aliens in Texas.

"So one of the things that I kept hearing about, of course, is the border. And when you see high-speed chases, that is something that impacts the entire community, whether you are on the right or the left," Ciscomani told Our America host Cat Mortensen.

He emphasized the bill's bipartisan nature, which passed with 56 Democrats voting in favor of it.

"It made sense, [it was] a common sense bill that tackled people that are endangering our community, and again, it made sense for the broad majority here that I mentioned," the Arizona Congressman continued.

Despite this bipartisan support, Ciscomani noted that "unfortunately, it sat in [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) desk, and he has not done anything with it."

Nevertheless, he said that he was "hoping that we can continue to push this legislation and that [Schumer] can see it in the Senate, can see that this is something that makes sense."