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.
This year, as we mark LGBT Pride Month in June, there is much to be proud of when it comes to the march for equality for all Americans.
Today, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA) introduced the "Half-in-Ten" Act of 2013 that would establish the Federal Interagency Working Group on Reducing Poverty, which will develop and implement a national strategy to reduce poverty by half in ten years, as well as provide regular reports on their progress to Congress.
“Thank you, Congresswoman Lee. I appreciate your leadership on the issue of combating poverty in our country and for chairing the Democratic Whip Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity.
WASHINGTON, DC- Today, House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA) will hold a press call to discuss the Half in Ten Act of 2013 at 11 a.m.
“I thank Congresswoman Sewell for her leadership and for yielding this time. And I thank my good friend, Spencer Bachus, for his leadership as well – and congratulate him and his family for the courage they showed at a time of great stress that this Gold Medal reflects.
Let me start by thanking the National Council on Disability for everything it does to educate the Congress, the President, federal agencies, and state and local governments on policies, programs, practices, and procedures that affect people with disabilities.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD), together with Task Force on Poverty and Opportunity Chair Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA), sent the following letter today to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Appropriations Subcommittees on Labor, Health and Human Services, and on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development.
MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
This week, I join with Americans across the country to mourn the victims of the devastating bombings in Boston. My thoughts and prayers are with all impacted by the tragedy, and I thank our nation’s brave first responders, police, and medical personnel for their courageous response to this horrific attack.
“Like 90% of Americans, I am disappointed that the Senate could not adopt a reasonable, bipartisan compromise to close loopholes in federal background check laws, despite the fact that it received a majority of votes.
"Thank you so much. I am humbled and honored by this award. Few awards are as meaningful as for work done to protect our children and expand the opportunities they deserve to succeed in life.