Progressive ‘Squad’ member Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley praised President Joe Biden commuting the sentences of 37 of the 40 people on federal death row on Monday.
The Massachusetts Democrat has been fighting to abolish the federal death penalty for years and hailed the move as an ‘historic and groundbreaking act of compassion.’
Biden on Monday converted the punishments of the 37 on death row to life in prison just weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office and is expected to resume executions.
‘There is no action more powerful or righteous than sparing someone’s life, and today President Biden is doing just that,’ Pressley said in a statement.
She claimed the move will ‘will save lives, address the deep racial disparities in our criminal legal system, and send a powerful message about redemption, decency, and humanity.’
‘The death penalty is a racist, flawed, and fundamentally unjust punishment that has no place in any society,’ Pressley said.
‘For far too long, it has been disproportionately weaponized against Black and brown communities, exacerbated systemic inequities, and failed to make America any safer—which is why we’ve urged the president for years to work with us to abolish the federal death penalty,’ she continued.