Biden privately tells lawmakers not to expect much on reparations legislation

Source: Politico | June 2, 2021 | Eugene Daniels

The president weighed in on race relations more bluntly than any of his predecessors during his speech Tuesday. But he also set expectations low for congressional action.

Joe Biden was more blunt about racism than perhaps any president before him — and than many in the crowd expected — in his remarks commemorating 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre Tuesday.

“He called out how through the years there have been members in elected office who were very public about their association or membership with [the] KKK,” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) said in the parking lot of the Greenwood Cultural Center. “He set up the scene in his speech to take us into what was happening at that time. And that was really powerful. I was so glad to hear it.”

But some attendees noted what they considered a glaring omission: any mention of reparations for the survivors of the massacre and their descendants, some of whom have sued the city and state for compensation, and a full-throated endorsement of H.R. 40, which would create a commission to study reparations. The bill passed out of the House Judiciary Committee in April for the first time since it was first introduced in 1989.

As a candidate, Biden said he supported a commission on reparations. But the administration has yet to endorse the actual bill. After his speech Tuesday, the president met with the members of the Congressional Black Caucus, who brought up the need for H.R. 40, which is named after the “40 acres and a mule” promise that now symbolizes the lack of support formerly enslaved people received from the federal government. According to those involved in the conversations, Biden let them down gently.

“He didn’t disagree with what we’re doing,” said Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Mich.), the 2nd vice chair of the CBC. “He did talk about his plate [being] full with trying to get the infrastructure bill passed and that he really wanted to make sure that he could get that through before he took on anything else.”

Biden’s biggest concern on H.R. 40, Lawrence said, is “getting it through the Senate.” The bill also hasn’t even been scheduled for a full floor vote in the House, where it has 188 co-sponsors.

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  • Consistent #49143

    EVERYDAY #49154

    I don’t think either party really wants reparations. Democrats might talk it up, but they aren’t really keen on it since it probably would antagonize their more mainstream white voters.

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