Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (8th District of New York)
Today, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Members of the Congressional Black Caucus and leaders from Divine Nine, civil rights and economic empowerment organizations for a press conference, where he highlighted how Donald Trump’s administration has made life worse for Black Americans and that House Democrats will not waver in pushing back against their chaos, dysfunction and extremism.
LEADER JEFFRIES: Donald Trump once asked Black America the question, ‘What the hell do you have to lose?’ The answer is everything, under his administration. We know that under the Trump administration, civil rights is under attack. Voting rights is under attack. Reproductive rights under attack. Racial justice under attack. Social justice under attack. Economic justice under attack. Black entrepreneurship under attack. What the hell does Black America have to lose under Donald Trump? The answer, clearly, is everything.
Black America is under attack. The United States of America has been under attack by the failed policies of a failed President and sycophants in the Republican Party who continue to act like nothing more than a reckless rubber stamp for Donald Trump’s extreme agenda. Under the Trump administration, the Black unemployment rate is up, the Black homeownership rate is down and healthcare is being ripped away from millions of Americans, disproportionately impacting Black and brown communities and lower-income white communities throughout the nation. But we’re here as members of the Congressional Black Caucus, civil rights leadership, faith leaders, leaders of the Divine Nine organizations, standing together to make clear that we’re not going to step back, we’re here to fight back and to make sure we protect the interests of Black America and all of the United States of America.
And as John Lewis would often encourage us to do, we will continue to show up, we will continue to stand up, we will continue to speak up. We’ll summon that character, that courage, that conviction of those upon whose shoulders in this Black History Month we proudly stand upon. And together we’re going to end this national nightmare and continue this country’s march toward a more perfect union.
Full press conference can be watched here.
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