In the News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty and members of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement: 

“Two years ago, we watched in horror for 9 minutes and 29 seconds as George Floyd’s life was taken, and his last words, “I can’t breathe,”  resonated as a national call to action. People of all races took to the streets to demand accountability and reform and the Congressional Black Caucus led the way forward. Congressmember Karen Bass introduced the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act —  intended to prevent and remedy racial profiling and excessive use of force with overwhelming support from the Congressional Black Caucus — and it passed in the Democratically led House,” said Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty. “While this legislation has not yet made its way to the President's desk, I am proud President Biden will mark the anniversary of George Floyd’s death by signing an executive order that promotes accountability, raises standards, increases transparency, and reforms the criminal justice system. 

This EO: 

• Delivers critical reforms necessary to ensure accountability in policing, raise standards, and provide transparency through data collection.

• Bans chokeholds and imposes a new standard for use of force.

• Creates new tools to screen and vet officers

• Restricts the use of no-knock entries and requires public documentation of all such entries. 

Read the full text of the executive order here. 

Beatty continued: “This executive action does not negate the responsibility of my colleagues in the Senate to pass meaningful police accountability legislation. We cannot allow those who stand in the way of progress to prevent us from answering the call to take the action we can on key issues. Abolish the filibuster.  It's time to legislate like our lives and our country depend on it. 

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Since its establishment in 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has been committed to using the full Constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources of the federal government to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities in the United States have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. The Caucus is Chaired by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty. As part of this commitment, the CBC has fought for the past 48 years to empower these citizens and address their legislative concerns