In the News

Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) shared a selfie on Tuesday celebrating their first visit to the White House in four years.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) shared the selfie on Twitter with the caption “The Congressional Black Caucus Fam’s first visit to the White House in four long years.”

 

Booker is seen in the photo with Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) along with CBC Chair Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio), Reps. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.).

The last time the caucus visited the White House was in March 2017, when White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond — who was then in the House and served as chair of the CBC — pressed former President Trump to focus on issues that were important to African Americans.

The caucus turned down an invitation to meet with Trump again a few months later, saying that the former president wasn’t acting on the caucus’ priorities.

Nearly a dozen members of the 57-member caucus were present at the meeting with President Biden, Vice President Harris and Richmond on Tuesday. The goal of the meeting was to push Biden on the caucus’ legislative agenda.

Among the caucus’ priorities are the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which the House passed in the beginning of March but still faces an uphill battle in the Senate, and addressing equitable COVID-19 vaccine distribution to communities of color.

Beatty said outside the White House that the meeting was “amazing.”

“We were able to share our thoughts and ideas but we also came because we know there will be challenges,” she said, noting that it’s been a “tough week” for members of the caucus.