Racial Equity & Equal Justice for All
Americans were horrified in the summer of 2020 at the unjust killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other Black Americans during encounters with police. These tragedies highlighted the deep-seated injustices that have long affected Black Americans and the denial of equal justice for all. Not only is our criminal justice system inequitable, but racial disparities continue to exist in many aspects of American life and our economy, including income, wealth distribution, housing, health care, and access to higher education. For too long this country has ignored the need to engage in real, serious policymaking focused on eliminating these disparities and ensuring that every American has an equal shot at “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Democrats are continuing to make equity and reducing disparities a focus of our legislative and economic agenda. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law makes equitable investments to address long-ignored disparities that prevent underserved communities from reaching their full economic potential. These include expanding access to broadband for 42 million Americans who currently lack reliable Internet access, funding upgrades to our water infrastructure to ensure Americans have clean drinking water, addressing legacy pollution, and expanding reliable public transit to underserved communities. During the 117th Congress, history was made when the Emmett Till Antilynching Act was passed and signed into law. This long-overdue law designates lynching as a hate crime under federal law, ensuring the full force of the government is brought to prosecute these monstrous crimes that have terrorized the Black community for over a century. House Democrats also passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in 2020 to root out racial biases in police departments and ban practices such as chokeholds and no-knock warrants. In the 118th Congress, Democrats will continue to we work with the Biden Administration to make equal justice, racial equity, and opportunity a reality for all Americans.
“The Attorney General’s announcement today of new guidelines for prosecutors to help reduce incarceration of non-violent, low-level drug offenders is an important step toward achieving the Administration’s goal of identifying reforms that will ensure that federal laws are enforced more fairly and efficiently.
“For twenty-three years, the Americans with Disabilities Act has been opening doors for tens of millions of Americans, and I was proud to have played a leading role in moving it through Congress in 1990. For too long, people with disabilities had been denied the equal opportunity to participate fully in our society – both as the result of discrimination and a lack of accessibility in both public and private spaces. Thanks to this historic legislation, barriers to access are disappearing along with misguided attitudes about people with disabilities and their potential to contribute to their communities and to our country.
“I join in marking 45 years since the first Special Olympics were held at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 1968. Originally the vision of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and taking inspiration from the summer camps she and her family ran at their home starting in 1962, the Special Olympics movement has brought dignity and opportunity to people with intellectual disabilities throughout the country and around the world.
“To build and sustain a strong middle class, we must take steps to empower women as leaders and full participants in our economy. America’s success depends on economic security for every family and individual, especially women who serve not only as primary caregivers, but increasingly as primary breadwinners.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined Speaker John Boehner, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and leaders from both the House and Senate this morning at a ceremony in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol to mark Nelson Mandela International Day.
“Thank you, and I’m so honored to be here to participate in the NAACP’s 104th Annual National Convention. The theme of this year’s convention is ‘we shall not be moved.’
“On behalf of Leader Pelosi, Assistant Leader Clyburn, and myself, I am honored to join in celebrating 104 years of NAACP’s leadership in moving our country closer to its founding principles – that all of us are created equal and endowed by our creator with the right to life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.
“I am pleased that the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions approved the Employment Non-Discrimination Act today by a strong bipartisan vote of 15-7.
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
This week, the United States Senate passed comprehensive immigration reform that takes an important step towards fixing our nation’s broken immigration system. I applaud the Senate for their bipartisan legislation, which creates a reasonable pathway to citizenship for 11 million people already in our country, while also ensuring the security of our borders. It is now time for the House to take action, and I will co
I am proud to join Rep. Nadler in introducing the House version of the Respect for Marriage Act today.