Rep. Nancy Mace@RepNancyMace
Rom Reddy of DOGE SC, whatever this organization may be (the real DOGE told us they’d never heard of you and didn’t appreciate you using their name), is opposing our bill to authorize the death penalty for Federal child rape offenses.
He seems to be making an incoherent states rights argument and claims I don’t understand state’s rights. Here are the facts.
Our bill simply alters the criminal penalty for 4 Federal and military offenses which have been on the books for decades: aggravated sexual abuse of a child (18 U.S.C. 2241(c)), sexual abuse of a minor (18 U.S.C. 2243(a)), abusive sexual contact of a child (18 U.S.C. 2244), and rape of a child under article 120b of the Uniform Code of Military Justice (10 U.S.C. 920b).
These offenses already exist under Federal law, have survived judicial scrutiny, and have a Federal nexus under the Constitution. Our bill does not create new federal crimes, it simply says if you are convicted of any of these 4 offenses, you face the death penalty under the Federal Death Penalty Act of 1994.
The Federal government has prosecuted and executed prisoners of other Federal offenses, no one can credibly say this infringes on state’s rights. Does Rom not think the Federal government should enforce federal laws or does he not think the Federal government should impose the death penalty for those convicted of serious Federal crimes? His states rights argument to excuse child sex predators is laughable.
The State of South Carolina is free to, and absolutely should, impose the death penalty for state offenses for child sex predators. Florida and other states already have passed laws to do this, and the Supreme Court is ripe to revisit their ridiculous 2008 Kennedy v. Louisiana decision. This bill doesn’t change the penalties for state laws, it changes Federal laws.
But this does not preclude the Federal government from imposing the death penalty for violations of well-established federal crimes against children. If Rom believes the Federal government shouldn’t prosecute child sex predators who violate Federal laws which have been on the books for decades, or shouldn’t impose the death penalty for child rapists under those laws, let him make the argument. But this bill in no way infringes on states’ rights and he either is ignorant or making the argument in bad faith.
