Rep. Jim Clyburn to lead US House select committee on coronavirus pandemic

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has tapped South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn to lead a select committee overseeing the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

On a conference call with reporters Thursday, Pelosi said the bipartisan committee would be tasked with ensuring the recovery funds approved by Congress are “wisely and efficiently spent” and preventing profiteering or waste.

“We face a deadly virus and a battered economy with millions of Americans suddenly out of work,” said Pelosi, D-Calif. “Congress has taken an important step in meeting this crisis by passing three bills with over $2 trillion in emergency relief. We need to make sure those dollars are spent carefully and effectively.”

In a statement, Clyburn said he was “deeply humbled by the Speaker’s confidence in me to lead this Select Committee” and is “ready to take on the challenge.”

“I believe very strongly that we cannot let the assistance directed toward addressing this crisis accrue in an unequitable fashion,” Clyburn said.

“In the recovery from previous crises like the Great Depression and various recessions, parts of our great country were left behind, having not been treated equitably,” he added. “We cannot allow that to happen in this pandemic.”

[SOURCE: POST AND COURIER]

Clyburn urges Biden to pick black woman as running mate

House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) urged former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday to pick a black woman as his running mate to "reward" them for loyalty to the Democratic Party if he is its presidential nominee.

Clyburn, who endorsed Biden ahead of his South Carolina primary win late last month, told NPR, "I really believe that we've reached a point in this country where African American women need to be rewarded for the loyalty that they've given to this party."

He named a number of black women who he thinks would be good choices to share a ticket with Biden, including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Georgia Democratic gubernatorial nominee and voting rights activist Stacey Abrams.

Clyburn also mentioned Democratic Reps. Marcia Fudge (Ohio), Val Demings (Fla.) and Karen Bass (Calif.) as potential choices, as well as Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Jim Clyburn: Obama should make an endorsement before the Democratic convention

Rep. Jim Clyburn says former President Barack Obama should “probably” make an endorsement in the race for the Democratic nomination before the party’s convention this July in Milwaukee. 

“At the proper time, probably should,” Clyburn said on Yahoo News’ “Skullduggery” podcast when asked if he would like it if Obama endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden. “If we’re talking about bringing this party together, I think he’s probably part of bringing it together, but not today.” 

When asked if he would like it if Obama endorsed Biden before the Democratic National Convention, Clyburn said, “I would think so.” He also said he had “absolutely not” discussed a possible Biden nomination with the former president. 

Read more: Clyburn says Obama should make an endorsement before the Democratic convention

Jim Clyburn gives emotional speech as he endorses Joe Biden

South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn gave a very emotional speech in which he often referenced his family as he endorsed for VP Joe Biden for president. Watch his speech below:

Rep. Jim Clyburn to endorse Joe Biden ahead of South Carolina Primary

House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, who wields enormous influence in his home state of South Carolina, is planning to endorse Joe Biden on Wednesday, multiple sources with knowledge of the Democrat’s plans told POLITICO.

The planned endorsement is expected three days ahead of the state's Saturday primary, giving Biden an important boost in a state that will likely determine the fate of his candidacy. Clyburn, the highest ranking African American in Congress, has long been close with Biden and has been open about his affinity for the former vice president during the Democratic primary.

“I will endorse Wednesday morning,” Clyburn said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. “I’m going to tell everybody who I’m going to vote for. I’m just not going to do it today.”

[SOURCE: The Hill]

Jim Clyburn: Buttigieg's sexuality an issue for older black voters

Watch South Carolina Congressman Jim Clyburn discuss the trouble Mayor Pete Buttigieg is having attracting black voters in his home state primary during an appearance on CNN's State of the Union.

22 Democratic presidential candidates attending Jim Clyburn's World Famous Fish Fry

It’s time again for the event columnist Roger Simon described as “one of those all-too-rare, feel-good evenings in politics,” and this year it’s bigger than ever. “Jim Clyburn’s World Famous Fish Fry” will be held on Friday, June 21st during the 2019 South Carolina Democratic Weekend in Columbia, S.C., and it will be a “can’t miss” stop for any candidate seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

Twenty-two Democrats running for president in 2020 will attend House Majority Whip James Clyburn’s (D-S.C.) fish fry in South Carolina next Friday as they jockey for support in the early primary state.

The event is likely to be the largest gathering of the 2020 candidates so far this election cycle, as nearly the entire primary field will attend. The fish fry, founded 30 years ago, has steadily grown into a campaign staple every four years and comes shortly before the first primary debates later this month.

“Each candidate will be given a generous moment to address the audience. The candidates are then encouraged to enjoy the fried fish, join in the electric slide and take selfies with the attendees,” a press release for the event said.

The only major contender of the 24-candidate field to not have confirmed their attendance is Montana Gov. Steve Bullock.

Jim Clyburn began the fish fry nearly three decades ago as a thank you to his campaign workers and for folks who couldn’t afford to attend the South Carolina State Democratic Party dinner. This free event is known for tons of fried fish, the Electric Slide, and old-fashioned politicking.

Rep. Jim Clyburn dismisses the idea of reparations

The highest ranking African-American member of Congress has major problems with two prominent ideas to address racial disparities in the economy: one that comes from his fellow Democrats and another championed by a Republican African-American senator from his home state.

In an interview, House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn teed off on both reparations and “opportunity zones,” complaining that the former is impractical and the latter is unhelpful.

“I think pure reparations would be impossible to implement,” said Clyburn, D-Columbia. “But we can deal with the issue (of racial inequality) if we just admit, first of all, that it exists and then come up with some straightforward ways to deal with it.”

Clyburn was more blunt about new “opportunity zones,” an initiative U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., pushed to include in the 2017 tax overhaul. It gives tax breaks to developers investing in low-income communities.

Read more: SC’s Clyburn pans reparations, ‘opportunity zones’ as unable to address racial inequality.

Rep. Jim Clyburn says shutdown looks like it will continue

South Carolina Congressional Democrat Jim Clyburn, S.C. 6th, is calling for an end to the government shutdown and said it's unfair to federal workers in the state.

As House Majority Whip, Clyburn said it's been frustrating debating the border wall with the President for more than a year.

“We give him another $1.6 billion for his wall, and he rejected. And, a year or so ago, we gave him $25 billion in exchange for taking care of the DREAMERs, he rejected that,” Clyburn said.

As the partial government shutdown is in its 25th day, Clyburn said he's frustrated for federal workers like one federal prison employee in Hampton County.

“She has three children, she's a single mom. And, she's going to work every day trying to protect society, against, in many instances, hardened criminals. But, she's not being paid. There's something about that, that's not right,” Clyburn said.

“We're not going to end this fight until we get more border security, and that's not an unreasonable request,” Graham said at the event.

Majority Whip Clyburn said Democrats support border security, but not the President's border wall.

And when it came to the shutdown ending, Clyburn was not optimistic.

“I live by our state's motto 'As I breathe, I hope.' So, I am hopeful something can be done and done quickly. Do I see it? No, I don't see it at the moment,” Clyburn said.

[SOURCE: WLTX]

Black Caucus wants one of their own as speaker or majority leader

The Congressional Black Caucus chairman is threatening a fight over House leadership if Democrats win the House.

In a move that could set off a nasty internal fight, the leader of the Congressional Black Caucus — a key voting bloc among House Democrats — is demanding that an African-American lawmaker hold one of the top two leadership posts if Democrats win the House on Election Day.

The demand by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), the CBC's chairman, is seen as a potential threat to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland who have been slotted to return as speaker and House majority leader, respectively, if Democrats gain the majority on Nov. 6.

“Over the past couple of weeks, several of our colleagues have respectfully shared letters of intent expressing interest in various House Democratic Caucus leadership positions,” Richmond said in a “Dear Colleague” letter that went out Thursday. “It is within that context that I’d like to reiterate that if there is any change in our top leadership positions the Democratic Members of the CBC endorse African-American representation in at least one of the two top positions of elected House Democratic Caucus leadership.”

That means, according to Democratic sources, that the CBC would want one of their own to be speaker or majority leader.

[Black Caucus wants one of their own as speaker or majority leader

Maxine Waters, Jim Clyburn, and Al Green honored by National Newspaper Publishers Association

The National Newspaper Publishers Association’s (NNPA) 2018 National Leadership Awards reception provided what one might expect when California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters, Texas Democratic Representative Al Green, and South Carolina’s Representative Jim Clyburn make up one-third of the recipients.

“We are here to recognize our brothers and sisters who are truly national leaders and who stand for freedom, justice and equality not when its popular, but when it’s not so popular to be freedom fighters,” said NNPA President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.

In her typical fiery yet still eloquent way, Waters spoke passionately about her and other Democrats’ mission to impeach President Donald Trump – though, like all of the recipients, she never mentioned the president by name only referring to him as “Number 45.”

“My friend Jesse Jackson said if you fight, you can win. If you don’t fight, you will never know if you can win,” said Waters, who also took time to heap praise upon NNPA National Chairman Dorothy R. Leavell, the publisher of the Crusader newspapers in Gary, Indiana and Chicago.

For those who insist that Vice President Mike Pence might turn out as a worse Commander in Chief than Trump, Waters scoffed, “…I say knock off the first, and go after the second,” she said, as the sold-out crowd inside the grand ballroom of the Marriot Marquis roared its approval of her fiery award acceptance speech.

For those who insist that Vice President Mike Pence might turn out as a worse Commander in Chief than Trump, Waters scoffed, “…I say knock off the first, and go after the second,” she said, as the sold-out crowd inside the grand ballroom of the Marriot Marquis roared its approval of her fiery award acceptance speech.

Green, the veteran civil rights advocate who’s serving his seventh term in Congress, picked up where Waters left off. “I promise that I have not given up on impeachment,” Green said. “We have a president who is not only unfit for the presidency, but a man who is unfit for any office in the United States of America.”

Clyburn, who arrived in Congress in 1993 and is the third-ranking Democrat, followed his colleagues and helped to drive home their impeachment argument. “I learned early what it means to challenge the system. I learned from my dad what it means to have the power of the almighty vote,” Clyburn said. “If the [midterm] election goes the way it seems like it is, you will have the best years of your lives going forward.”

Waters, Green and Clyburn were among the nine national leaders and activists honored by the NNPA on Friday, Sept. 14. A trade organization representing America’s more than 220 African American-owned newspapers—with more than 22 million weekly subscribers, the NNPA began the Leadership Awards in 2014. The awards honor individuals who are national leaders in their specific fields and whose actions have helped to improve the quality of life for African Americans and others.

The producers of the NNPA Leadership Awards Reception decided that the best time to host such an awards reception would be during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Annual Legislative Conference, a weeklong event that’s held each September.

The CBC ALC week is the largest annual gathering of its kind in the United States, featuring 15,000 to 20,000 African American leaders and influencers.

The underlying combined objective of the CBC ALC and the NNPA National Leadership Awards Reception is to network, collaborate and strategize collectively for the advancement and empowerment of Black America.

Counted among the sponsors and supporters of the NNPA Leadership Awards Reception were General Motors, Ford Motor Company, Pfizer Rare Disease, RAI Reynolds, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Northrop Grumman, Volkswagen, Wells Fargo, AARP, Aetna, Koch Industries, Comcast, Ascension Health, Comcast, and Compassion & Choices.

Awardees included National Teacher of the Year Jahana Hayes, Capstone Development Founder Norman K. Jenkins, E-Commerce Leader Arsha Jones, Dr. Wally Smith, Television Personality Kellee Edwards and legendary poll worker Laura Wooten.

At 97, Wooten is the longest continuously serving poll worker in America. Immediately upon graduating from Princeton High School in 1939, Wooten was recruited to work the polls by her great uncle, Anderson Mitnaul, who was running for Justice of the Peace. More than seven decades later, Wooten is still working the polls and her 79-year streak remains intact.

“Voting is important,” Wooten told the audience who saluted her with a prolonged standing ovation. “We need to engage young people to get out to vote. I hope we can do better this year. On November 6, get out and vote,” she said.

Jim Clyburn: ‘No self-respecting African-American would dignify (Trump’s) campaign’

U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn told reporters Tuesday that “no self-respecting African-American would dignify” the presidential campaign of GOP nominee Donald Trump.

On the same conference call with reporters, the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House and the most senior black lawmaker on Capitol Hill also condemned fellow South Carolinian Mark Burns, a black pastor and Trump surrogate who recently re-tweeted a cartoon of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in blackface.

Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, has since apologized for the tweet, which also depicted Clinton wearing a T-shirt that reads “no hot sauce, not peace” and a speech bubble proclaiming, “I ain’t no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.” Clyburn called Burns’ actions “beyond the pale.”

Burns, the pastor of the Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, has since apologized for the tweet, which also depicted Clinton wearing a T-shirt that reads “no hot sauce, not peace” and a speech bubble proclaiming, “I ain’t no ways tired of pandering to African-Americans.” Clyburn called Burns’ actions “beyond the pale.”

“When you do that,” Clyburn said, “you do not erase the impact that that still has on individuals.”

Clyburn, who participated in the call convened by the Clinton campaign to disavow the Trump campaign’s “troubling ties to a hate movement,” scoffed at these efforts. He said if the Republican nominee truly cared about reaching the black community, he would meet with the NAACP, the Urban League and any of the other black organizations whose invitations to Trump have been declined.

Clyburn also took issue with anyone who would single out Clinton’s use of the phrase “super predator” during a speech she delivered as first lady in 1996.

Critics, including Trump allies and supporters of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, have said the term was racially loaded. Clyburn said it was obvious she was talking about some bad actors, “not every African-American.”

Ultimately, he said, he was pleased “to speak on behalf of Hillary Clinton, and also to denounce Donald Trump and everything he stands for.”

[SOURCE]