Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) clashed Tuesday with Gregory Jackson Jr., a former Biden White House adviser on gun violence, in a fiery exchange over police funding and the meaning of “two-spirit people.”
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Hawley grilled Jackson over a policy report produced by Community Justice Action Fund, the organization Jackson now advises. The report advocated shifting resources away from police departments and toward community-led initiatives, including “safe space programs led by lesbian, gay, bisexual, two-spirit, trans, and gender nonconforming people.”
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Reading directly from the report, Hawley asked: “What’s ‘two-spirit’?”
Sen. Josh Hawley: "What is two spirit person?"
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 30, 2025
Gregory Jackson: "II feel like I'm looking at a two-faced individual."
Sen. @HawleyMO: "Oh, no, sir! You're looking at somebody who's reading you your own words." pic.twitter.com/0T4m8H8KYz
Jackson hesitated, replying: “Well, look, I don’t know exactly. You guys are pulling some interesting quotes.”
Hawley pressed again: “This is from your report … You say don’t fund the police, but do fund programs that create safe spaces for two-spirit people. What is… I just want to know. I don’t know what that is.”
Jackson admitted, “I have no idea what that is. Well, honestly, I’m not completely aware of the language or the spirit of how that was written.”
That prompted Hawley to fire back: “What is a two-spirit individual? … You are the witness called by the Democrats on this committee, so I assume you reflect their views. You don’t want to fund the police. You want to fund safe spaces for two-spirit individuals. What is a two-spirit person?”
The exchange grew more tense when Jackson shot back: “I feel like I’m looking at a two-faced individual because you talk about reducing violence.”
Hawley retorted: “No, sir, you’re looking at somebody who’s reading you your own words, and I’d like to hear an answer. Here’s the answer: You don’t have any solutions. You want to invest in gobbledygook and take away money from police officers who actually keep our communities safe… and it’s a disgrace.”
The senator, who has long criticized “defund the police” proposals, touted his own record: “We reduced homicides by 31%, and as someone who’s been shot and nearly killed, I take offense that you won’t answer my questions, that you deny your own words, and that you are leading this committee astray. Frankly, sir, your policies are absurd.”
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Jackson previously served as deputy director of the Biden administration’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention, created in 2023. He is currently president of the Rocket Foundation and serves as an executive adviser at Community Justice. A survivor of gun violence himself, Jackson has been a leading supporter of community-based prevention efforts.
Tuesday’s hearing, titled Blue City Chaos and Tragedy: How the Trump Administration is Addressing the Human Cost of Soft-on-Crime Policies, underscored sharp divisions over crime policy.