Today, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hosted members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in the Oval Office to discuss shared priorities, including the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the path forward on police reform in Congress.
Members of the Congressional Black Caucus were vital partners in advancing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act through the House in the last session of Congress. When Senate Republicans blocked the legislation from reaching the President's desk, President Biden worked with the CBC to take sweeping executive action at the federal level to advance police reform.
In today's meeting, the discussion focused on important reforms that have already been implemented as a result of the President's action, including the banning of chokeholds, restricting no-knock warrants, and requiring the use of body cameras at the federal level, and what more needs to be done by Congress.
The President and Vice President made clear that no executive action can substitute for federal legislation, and the necessary changes at the state and local level will require Congress to act.
President Biden and Vice President Harris remain committed to doing everything in their power to achieve meaningful police reform in Congress.
The meeting participants included:
- Rep. Steven Horsford (NV-04), Congressional Black Caucus Chair
- Senator Cory Booker (NJ)
- Senator Raphael Warnock (GA)
- Rep. James Clyburn (SC-06)
- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
- Rep. Joe Neguse (CO-02)
Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Readout of Oval Office Meeting with Congressional Black Caucus Members Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/359567