Washington, D.C. – Congressional Black Caucus Chairwoman Joyce Beatty (OH-03), released the following statement announcing the inclusion of critical Black priorities in the Build Back Better Agenda and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill following her meeting with Susan Rice, Director of White House Domestic Policy Council, Brian Deese, Director of the National Economic Council, Cecilia Rouse, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Shalanda Young, Acting Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and Ali Zaidi, Deputy National Climate Advisor, moderated by Cedric Richmond, Senior Advisor and Director of the Office of Public Engagement.

“Today is a good day for the Congressional Black Caucus, for the 3rd District, and the Nation. Over the past two years, during COVID and the destructive Trump Administration, we’ve fought for Black families, and we did not give up. We now have a transformative President who heard our voices and took action alongside us,” said Beatty. “We diligently championed these issues and are proud to see their inclusion in this reconciliation package. In the past several weeks alone, I have met with the White House more than five times to demand that Black families be prioritized in this final package. This is an important start and it demonstrates progress. We’ve marched, and we’ve raised our fists. Throughout our nation’s history, courageous Black Americans and members of the CBC have fought, been arrested, and died for progress. We know the stakes have always been high in defense of Black lives, so we pushed hard for HBCU funding, housing vouchers, enhanced Child Tax Credit, and others. And while voting rights and criminal justice reform were not part of the Build Back Better agenda, we continued to bring these up because these are nonnegotiable from the CBC’s standpoint. We fought for real issues that are important to real people. The Congressional Black Caucus remains committed to ensuring Black families have a seat at the table as discussions conclude. We will continue to work with the President to meet the uniqueness and urgency of this moment. We will not waiver in our commitment to Black families across this Nation.”