Budget, Appropriations, and Tax

Yesterday, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham at the direction of Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04), Chair of the CBC 2020 Census Task force. The task force was formed to hold the Trump Administration accountable for an accurate and inclusive census process for Black people in America. “Since 1790, our Constitution has called for the counting of every person in our country every 10 years. However, more than 200 years later, we are still ... Read more

As we celebrate the contributions of African Americans this month, we’d like to highlight a policy area where the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) — created in 1971, a year after the first observance of Black History Month — has played a pivotal role and where many of its members are now working to build on past achievements. It’s the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), particularly the EITC for working people who aren’t raising minor children in their home but are working hard for low wages and tr... Read more

The Congressional Black Caucus released the following statement following the announcement by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that two members of the Congressional Black Caucus, Representatives Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08) and Val Demings (FL-10), as managers for the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump in the United States Senate: “As the conscience of the Congress, Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Representatives Jeffries and Demings, have worked tirelessly to ensure that our dem... Read more

The Congressional Black Caucus released the following statement after the House voted to approve two articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump: “This is indeed a dark time in our nation’s history. For only the third time in United States history, a sitting President has been impeached by the House of Representatives. The facts are undeniable: Donald J. Trump has abused the power of the office of the Presidency in his blatant attempt to cheat his way to reelection. Congress is a c... Read more

Rep. Karen Bass (CA-37), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, released the following statement after the House Judiciary Committee’s vote to approve two articles of impeachment against President Donald J. Trump: “Today is a somber day in the House of Representatives. For only the fourth time in United States history, the House Judiciary Committee has voted to advance articles of impeachment against a sitting President. The facts are clear: the 45th President of the United States of America a... Read more

On Thursday, July 25, 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus along with Members of the House of Representatives reached a bipartisan budget agreement with Senate leadership and the current Administration to increase discretionary funding limits for 2020 and 2021. This agreement represents a vast improvement over the harmful cuts presented in President’s 2020 budget. Congresswoman Karen Bass, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus issued the following statement in response: “The bipartisan budget ... Read more

Today, the Congressional Black Caucus sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Senator McConnell, Minority Leader Senator Schumer, House Speaker Pelosi, and Minority Leader McCarthy requesting the recent budget deal to provide the Census Bureau with $7.5 billion for the upcoming 2020 Census count. Current funding levels within the budget deal consist of a lower $2.5 billion cap exemption for the 2020 Census. On Thursday, July 25, 2019, the Congressional Black Caucus along with Members of the Hous... Read more

There is no barn at Sedrick Rowe’s farm on the outskirts of Albany, only a modest storage shed. Vintage equipment lies idle nearby. Rust, about the color of the soil where Rowe plants his organic peanuts and watermelon seeds, covers each piece of machinery. Weeds, green and persistent, grow up through the blades. The dated equipment isn’t decorative. It tills the soil and gets his seeds in the ground. He paid about $1,000 for the implements, sure he could make them work based on what he learned... Read more

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) is finding herself in high demand heading into 2020. The new leader of the powerful Congressional Black Caucus received a phone call from Joe Biden, the former vice president and current front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, just the other day. She caught up with Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), another White House hopeful, during a plane ride from Pennsylvania to Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. And Bass regularly chats up Sen. Kamala Harris, a fellow Californ... Read more

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) issued the following statement after the White House released its Fiscal Year 2020 budget. “President Trump’s budget for fiscal year 2020 is deeply troubling and makes it abundantly clear he isn’t serious about addressing the needs of the African-American community,” said CBC Chair Representative Karen Bass. “This budget strips Americans of their healthcare and makes it harder to move into the middle-class with drastic cuts to housin... Read more