{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-hank-johnson-s-statement-corps-halting-dakota-pipeline", "Congressman Hank Johnsons Statement on Corps Halting Dakota Pipeline", "2016-12-05", "2016", "2016-12", "Democrat", "House", "GA", "Hank Johnson", "J000288", "hankjohnson.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) released the following statement after the Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the construction of a key section of the Dakota Access Pipeline, granting a major victory to protesters who have been demonstrating for months. Mr. Johnson sent Defense Secretary Ash Carter a letter Dec. 2 urging the Department of Defense (DOD) to demilitarize the North Dakota police, who have been confronting peaceful protesters using armored vehicles, automatic rifles, sound cannons, concussion grenades, and other offensive military weapons and equipment:\n\u201cWhile suspension of the permit is a victory for the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and testament to our commitment to protecting the environment and clean drinking water for all Americans, I am still very concerned about the overly militarized response by law enforcement to the Water Protectors and that the president-elect\u2019s business empire has direct links to the corporations behind the pipeline,\u201d said Johnson.\nJohnson\u2019s letter to Carter requests that the DOD demand the return of more than $3 million in surplus military weapons from North Dakota law enforcement agencies that acquired the equipment through the Pentagon\u2019s 1033 Program (also known as the Defense Department\u2019s Excess Personal Property Program), which has transferred more than $5 billion in military hardware from the Department of Defense to local American law enforcement agencies since 1997.\u00a0\nAs author of the Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act, Rep. Johnson is a national leader in the demilitarization of state and local law enforcement.\n\u201cWe must remain extra vigilant to protect American citizens\u2019 right to peaceably assemble,\u201d Johnson said in his letter signed by 13 House colleagues. \u201cBy removing military equipment from local and state enforcement responding to the DAPL protest, the DOD would reaffirm our government\u2019s commitment to these founding ideals and help de-escalate an increasingly volatile situation.\u201d\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hankjohnson.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/congressman-hank-johnson-s-statement-corps-halting-dakota-pipeline"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8558846786618233, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}