Washington • President Donald Trump on Wednesday gave a hearty endorsement of stalled legislation to reform the nation’s prison system, hoping to change mandatory sentencing laws long blamed for overcrowding prisons and disproportionately incarcerating black people for minor crimes.
The House passed a bill to overhaul the federal prison system but the bill got stuck in the Senate after negotiations broke down. Trump's support for a new measure, co-written by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah that seeks to find a compromise that can pass, could overcome opposition by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others.