Washington, Mar 17 : US President Joe Biden is going all out to turn the tables on Republicans who are trying to paint Democrats as being soft on crime in the hope of winning the crucial spending fight this year on the budget showdown, ahead of the election year in 2024.

Republicans however stoutly defend their position and dismiss Biden's counterclaims saying that the Democrats are the ones who would like to "defund the police" as budget and debt ceiling talks escalate before a summer deadline with far-reaching economic ramifications, media reports say.