A year after “Defund the Police” became a rallying cry in progressive circles, President Joe Biden wants to take the opposite approach. On Wednesday, he encouraged state and local officials combating a surge in crime to tap into $350 million in COVID-19 relief to hire more law enforcement officers.

“This is not a time to turn our backs on law enforcement or our communities,” Biden said from the White House.

President Biden is unveiling a new initiative aimed at tackling what he calls the nation's "gun violence epidemic."

The initiatives include stemming the flow of illegal guns, supporting local law enforcement and investing in community violence intervention methods. pic.twitter.com/N8y1v5zMDH

— CBS News (@CBSNews) June 23, 2021

That $350 million, approved by Congress in March, was earmarked for the effort to retain public employees, including cops. The Biden administration gave the go-ahead to move beyond retention and into recruitment since they consider the recent crime wave an effect of the pandemic. According to the FBI, the murder rate rose 25% last year.

State and local governments could also use the funds to expand social service workers.

“It means more police officers, more nurses, more counselors, more social workers or community violence interrupters to help resolve issues before they escalate into crimes,” Biden said from the White House.

Biden laid out other elements of his “comprehensive strategy,” including revoking the licenses of gun stores that run afoul of federal laws and establishing programs that help at-risk youth and recently incarcerated Americans find jobs. State and local governments can tap into COVID-19 relief money to fund those initiatives, too.

‘Merchants of death are breaking the law for profit’: President Joe Biden pledged to go after illegal gun dealers and boost federal funding and support for local law enforcement as homicide rates have spiked in large cities https://t.co/vQgwWzjQg0 pic.twitter.com/tGiabee1PR

— Reuters (@Reuters) June 24, 2021

In addition, the Department of Justice said it was deploying “strike forces” to five major cities experiencing a spike in violent crime in an effort to curb illegal gun trafficking.

The New York Times parses the political dynamics of Biden’s announcement:

With Wednesday’s speech, Mr. Biden aimed to blunt criticism from Republicans who say he is soft on crime. But he also tried to bridge the two flanks of his party: centrist Democrats alarmed by the spike in crime in cities and progressives who are pushing systemic changes to police departments that have long been accused of racial discrimination.

“The far right is trying to use law enforcement to drive a political wedge and manipulate where Democrats are,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D -NJ), the chairman of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus. “But I think time has run out on that play. You can be for bipartisan-backed reforms while also standing firm with law enforcement and against crime.”