Austin matches number of homicides in all of 2020, McCaul blames 'defund the police'

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Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, blamed the "defund the police" movement as Austin is seeing what's been described as a "grim milestone" for homicides in 2021.

Earlier this week, the Austin-American Statesman reported that despite five months remaining for the year, the number of homicides in 2021 had already reached the level seen for all of 2020. 

"This is what happens when you villainize law enforcement and defund police," McCaul tweeted on Thursday. "Now more than ever, Austin police need extra support and resources to combat the surge of crime."

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The Austin-American Statesman reported that Police Lt. Brett Bailey said he didn't expect the number to improve in the near future as the most violent months are usually August and September.

Last year, the Austin City Council cut $21.5 million from the police budget and diverted another $128 million away, injecting it into other city departments. That reduction accounted for a third of its total police budget.

Interim Austin Police Chief Joseph Chacon has said his hands are effectively tied.

With fewer officers on the streets and no major recruitment plans in the works, law enforcement experts say it’s having a major ripple effect through one of the fastest-growing U.S. cities.

Many large cities pursued defunding measures after a wave of high-profile police encounters with Black Americans. 

Defenders have generally argued that police aren't equipped to handle things like mental illness as well as other professionals, and should therefore transfer that funding to other government agencies.

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Color Of Change PAC, a group backed by billionaire George Soros, has described policing as a "violent institution that must end."

"We imagine a country where there is enough money to educate our children, care for our sick and feed those who are financially unstable. Defunding the police allows for this vision," the group's president previously said.

Fox News' Casey Stegall and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.