As part of his broader crackdown on crime, President Donald Trump recently took executive action to limit or eliminate the progressive, soft-on-crime policy of cashless bail for arrested criminals that is favored by politicians and activists in many Democrat-led jurisdictions.

A pair of Republican senators just introduced two bills to support Trump's effort to end cashless bail in Washington, D.C. and nationwide, according to Just the News.

Cashless bail policies have been decried as a prominent contributor to high crime rates in certain jurisdictions, in that they allow for the easy and quick release from custody of violent and career criminals who often go on to reoffend while facing pending charges or trials for earlier offenses.

Trump's executive orders on cashless bail

On August 25, President Trump issued an executive order aimed at ending cashless bail and the "unwarranted pretrial release" of criminals in Washington, D.C., which "leaves such criminals free to endanger American citizens visiting our Nation’s capital, Federal workers discharging their duties to our Nation, and citizens of the District of Columbia trying to live their lives safely."

That same day, he issued a second order to similar effect nationwide, given that "law enforcement officers risk their lives to arrest potentially violent criminals, only to be forced to arrest the same individuals, sometimes for the same crimes, while they await trial on the previous charges."

To prevent that from continuing to occur, Trump called for criminals arrested in D.C. to be charged federally and held in federal custody, whenever possible, and in both the nation's capital city and beyond, he called for certain federal funds to be withheld from jurisdictions that implement and maintain cashless bail policies.

Legislation introduced

On Thursday, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and John Cornyn (R-TX) teamed up to introduce two pieces of legislation that, if passed and signed into law by President Trump, would permanently codify his prior executive orders against cashless bail policies.

The "Ending Cashless Bail in Our Nation’s Capital Act" would effectively require Washington, D.C. to "use the highest level of cash bail necessary" to keep "dangerous offenders" off the streets ahead of a trial, and would apply to "violent crimes" including murder, rape, and sexual abuse of a minor, as well as burglary, carjacking, and robbery.

Similarly, the "Keep Violent Criminals Off Our Streets Act" would prohibit the awarding of certain Justice Department grants to states and localities that limit or ban the practice of cash bail requirements.

Companion legislation to those two bills is expected to be introduced soon in the House by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY).

Lawmakers speak out

"Cashless bail and other soft-on-crime policies have empowered violent criminals across our country, putting the lives of law-abiding citizens at risk," Sen. Blackburn said. "President Trump is leading the charge to restore law and order by ending these failed policies, and Congresswoman Stefanik and I are backing his efforts by introducing two bills to end cashless bail and keep violent offenders behind bars."

"Cashless bail is a soft-on-crime policy that not only endangers innocent Americans, but also erodes trust in the justice system and drains law enforcement resources by forcing police to play a game of catch-and-release with repeat offenders," Sen. Cornyn echoed. "Washington, D.C. should be a shining city the world looks to as a model for safety and security, which is why I’m proud to work with President Trump and Senator Blackburn to end the use of cashless bail nationwide."

Rep. Stefanik said, "Cashless bail policies in New York pose a clear and present danger to the Nation and must be terminated," and added, "Today, Sen. Marsha Blackburn and I are working alongside President Trump to end the cashless bail disaster. We can’t allow arrested individuals who are awaiting trial to be released back onto the streets to commit more crimes against their communities."

The press release from the senators and congresswoman noted that both of the bills have the full support of the Trump administration.