Special to The Truth
Following an extensive candidate forum on Tuesday, November 29, the Congressional Black Caucus released leadership endorsements for the 118th Congress. We appreciate the candidates for sharing their goals and vision for the 118th Congress, and we look forward to working together as we continue to move this nation forward.
The Congressional Black Caucus Proudly Endorses:
Democratic Leader, Hakeem Jeffries (NY-08)
Congressman Jeffries, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, served as the House Democratic Caucus Chairman throughout enormous turmoil for our nation. Despite this, Jeffries led Democrats to unprecedented legislative successes. From surviving the longest government shutdown in history to the impeachment of a lawless president, a once-in-a-century pandemic, resulting economic crisis, reckoning with systemic racism, a violent insurrection, the inauguration of a new President, an insurrection, and a second impeachment. We are confident Congressman Jeffries will continue building upon his leadership experience and working to create a better future for all Americans in his historic role as the first Black lawmaker to lead a major party in Congress as Democratic Leader for the 118th Congress.
Democratic Whip, Katherine Clark (MA-05)
Congresswoman Katherine Clark has worked tirelessly to build the Democratic Caucus’ capacity to serve our constituents with quality district services, build strong coalitions, and listen to all members. She has proven to run an effective and efficient Whip operation and has demonstrated her talents by incorporating CBC’s priorities in legislation. The Congressional Black Caucus proudly endorses Congresswoman Katherine Clark to be the Democratic Whip for the 118th Congress.
Democratic Caucus Chair, Pete Aguilar (CA-31)
Congressman Aguilar is a proven consensus builder, and a fierce advocate for American families. We are confident Congressman Aguilar will ensure every Member’s voice is heard and continue working to advance the big tent coalition of the Democratic Caucus. The Congressional Black Caucus proudly endorses Congressman Pete Aguilar to be the Democratic Caucus Chair for the 118th Congress.
Assistant Democratic Leader, Jim Clyburn (SC-06)
Congressman Clyburn, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has served the House Democratic Caucus in numerous capacities, from former Caucus Chairman to, our House Majority Whip. Congressman Clyburn is credited with helping deliver the 2020 Blue wave, which included Democratic Control of the White House, Senate, and the House of Representatives. His experienced leadership and institutional wisdom are unparalleled, and we are confident he will continue to advance his legacy of excellence in his role as Assistant Leader of the Democratic Party for the 118th Congress.
Democratic Caucus Vice Chair, Joyce Beatty (OH-03)
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the first-ever Chair of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion and the ninth woman to chair the Congressional Black Caucus. She is well positioned to serve as the first Black woman since Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm to serve in House Democratic Leadership. As Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, which is comprised of Progressives, New Dems, Blue Dogs, LGBTQ, and more — Beatty is the only Vice Chair candidate running to have led a diverse caucus.
She has successfully prioritized supporting, including, and elevating members, connecting our Caucus Leadership, President Biden, and his Administration in pulling together the early negotiations for the historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. She then worked with progressives and moderates, and together secured passage of the groundbreaking infrastructure law, which set the stage for this year’s Inflation Reduction Act. As one of five original founding members of Elect Democratic Women, Congresswoman Beatty helps raise dollars to support women running for office. Congresswoman Joyce Beatty has always stood up for what she believes in, regardless of whether it ends in applause or arrest. That is how she has led for her constituents, the Congressional Black Caucus, and we are confident she will continue to do so in her role as Democratic Caucus Vice Chair of the 118th Congress.
Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Chair, Joe Neguse (CO-02)
Congressman Joe Neguse is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, current co-chair of the DPCC, DCCC Recruitment, and Red-to-Blue Co-Chair. Congressman Neguse has worked to effectively communicate to a broad constituency, ensuring that voices from across our caucus and the ideological spectrum are elevated and included. In addition, he has successfully engaged each member of our diverse caucus to develop our message framing that became an essential tool for our members as we defended our democracy and defied historic norms by limiting Republican gains in this year’s election. Congressman Neguse has proven he is dedicated to putting ‘People Over Politics’, and we are proud to endorse him in his quest to Chair the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee in the 118th Congress.
Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Co-Chair, Nikema Williams (GA-05) and Lauren Underwood (IL-14)
Congresswoman Nikema Williams is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and Chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Georgia. In 2020, Congresswoman Williams led Georgians to cement the Democratic Senate majority, which helped to deliver the Biden-Harris presidency and mobilized a diverse majority to participate in democracy. She has prioritized building multi-racial, multi-ethnic coalitions, passing a major gun violence package, strengthening our nation’s infrastructure, make transformational investments in health care and our environment, and investing in innovation and supply chains. We proudly endorse Congresswoman Nikema Williams for DPCC Co-Chair in the 118th Congress.
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the youngest Black woman to be elected to the House of Representatives. In 2018, Representative Underwood flipped a traditionally Republican district and became the first woman, the first person of color, and the first millennial to represent her Midwestern community in Congress. Congresswoman Underwood understands the discipline, creativity, and clarity required to be effective in our most competitive districts. She is a celebrated champion for Black Maternal Health and millennials in Congress, and we are proud to endorse Congresswoman Lauren Underwood for DPCC Co-Chair in the 118th Congress.
Proposed Rule Change
Amendment #9 — Democratic Steering and Policy Committee Rule 10
A main responsibility of the Leader is to constitute the Steering Committee. This amendment would hamstring new Leadership, specifically the new Leader who will be the first Black Leader of a party in Congress. The appointments to Steering, both by the Leader and the Whip, have reflected the broad diversity of our Caucus, and the new Leadership has committed to continuing that in the future. To remove these positions will mean that key drivers of our policy agenda as Democrats will not have a seat at the table. It also removes a key position for Freshmen to have a seat at the table, thus limiting the input of another important and diverse subset of the Caucus. It is unclear why at this moment, such a change is needed before our new Leaders have had the opportunity to implement their inclusive vision for the Committee. The CBC recommends a NO vote.