Republicans hammer Biden for federal death row reprieves ahead of leaving office

After the White House announced President Joe Biden's decision to commute the sentences of nearly all the inmates on federal death row, Republicans slammed him for being "soft-on-crime."

"Joe Biden is an addled, corrupt, and demented failure. The White House has become a memory care facility as Biden is led around by his corrupt kids and his Marxist staffers. That's why 37 depraved murderers have clemency," wrote Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., on X. 

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President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, U.S. December 10, 2024.  (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo)

Cotton is the incoming chairman of both the Senate GOP conference and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. 

House Majority whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told Fox News Digital in a statement, "Unfortunately, this is not surprising given that the Biden-Harris administration has let murderers and rapists come in through our southern border for the last four years. Joe Biden’s soft-on-crime record is exactly why voters fired him and reelected President Trump on November 5."

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Sen. Tom Cotton is slamming Kamala Harris over her refusal to be clear about her changing policy positions from 2020. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

"Violent murderers should not have their sentences commuted," Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., said on X. "We must end soft-on-crime policies."

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., labeled the move "a slap in the face to the families who have suffered immeasurably at the hands of these animals."

While Republicans made their displeasure known, Biden's announcement was celebrated by some Democrats. 

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U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (C), accompanied by U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer (L), and U.S. House Majority Leader Rep. Steve Scalise (R) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Nov. 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

"The President’s decision today provides accountability with a term of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole and ensures that these individuals never again pose a threat to public safety, but without implicating the myriad issues associated with capital punishment. I have long advocated for the abolition of the federal death penalty and commend President Biden for this act of justice and mercy and for his leadership," said Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in a statement. 

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Rep. Jayapal applauded the Biden administration. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In her own statement, Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said, "This is a historic day in America. We thank President Biden for this extraordinary act to spare the 37 individuals facing the death penalty, a discriminatory and fundamentally inhumane punishment. This is a powerful use of executive action to save lives and deliver justice." 

She had previously encouraged the administration to take such action. 

Biden's death penalty commutations came after he already rolled out commutations for roughly 1,500 people's sentences in the largest single-day act of clemency. 

Julia Johnson is a politics writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business, leading coverage of the U.S. Senate. She was previously a politics reporter at the Washington Examiner. 

Follow Julia's reporting on X at @JuliaaJohnson_ and send tips to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..