March 30, 2017 

LAWT News Service

 

Congressmember Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) executive committee, as well as Assistant Democratic Leader Jim Clyburn, recently met with President Trump, Vice-President Pence, and advisers in the administration to talk about issues affecting the African American community and why the administration should follow the CBC’s lead if it’s serious about addressing these issues.

 

“The purpose of the meeting, which I think we made very clear, was to answer his question about what our community has to lose,” Rep. Bass said after the meeting. “It’s his budget, it’s his policy, it’s his rhetoric; all of these factors demonstrate what we stand to lose and in some cases, what we’ve already begun to lose in the first fifty days of his administration.”

 

In addition to talking about proposed budget cuts, HBCUs, jobs, and other issues, the CBC delegation hand delivered a CBC-authored, 130-page policy document titled “We Have A Lot To Lose: Solutions to Advance Black Families in the 21st Century” about African American history, CBC history, and 21st century policy solutions for African American families. The policy document was delivered to the White House before the meeting, during which Rep. Bass discussed the importance of reducing recidivism rates nationwide.

 

“We provided the President and Vice-President with very specific and detailed policy proposals that they are capable of carrying out, should the administration choose to do so. Making sure that the Second Chance Act, a law designed to provide programs that help people leaving prison, is fully funded in his budget would be a terrific first step,” she said. “There’s a lot of work to be done to be smarter on crime and to be smarter on re-entry. This was an opportunity to both express concerns about things the President has said in his remarks about the Black community, but also a time to see if there are areas of agreement where there are real solutions that can be put forward.”

 

Rep. Bass is the Second Vice-Chair for the Congressional Black Caucus.

Category: News