SPEAKER PELOSI TO JOIN MARTIN LUTHER KING III & FAMILY FOR MLK DAY PRESS CONFERENCE ON VOTING RIGHTS

On Monday,  the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi will join Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King and Yolanda Renee King, as well as other elected officials and civil rights leaders at a press conference to discuss the critical need for action on voting rights legislation. The press conference comes as the Senate heads for a vote on the Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act on Tuesday. Mr. King and others will call on the Senate to do away with the filibuster in order to pass this bill.

The list of speakers includes:

• Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi  
• Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH), Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus 
• Rep. Terri Sewell (D-AL), United States Congress
• Martin Luther King III, Chairman of the Drum Major Institute
• Arndrea Waters King, President of the Drum Major Institute
• Yolanda Renee King, Director of Youth Programming for the Drum Major Institute and Granddaughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King
• Rev. Al Sharpton, President of National Action Network 
• DaMareo Cooper Co-Chair of the Center for Popular Democracy 
• Kelly Robinson, Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and Vice President of Advocacy and Organizing at Planned Parenthood Federation of America 
• Maria Teresa Kumar, President and CEO of Voto Latino  
• Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers 
• Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association 
• Melanie Campbell, President and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation 
• LaTosha Brown, Co-Founder of Black Voters Matter
• Rahna Epting, Executive Director of MoveOn
• Donald Cravins, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Urban League
• Rev. Lis Theoharis, Co-Chair of the Poor People’s Campaign 
• Ramón Cruz, President of Sierra Club 
• Stephanie Young, Executive Director of When We All Vote 
• Taifa Smith Butler, President of Demos
• Virginia Kase Solomón, CEO of League of Women Voters 
• 
  

In the morning before the press conference, Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, Yolanda Renee King and representatives from partner organizations will join the D.C. MLK Holiday Committee for their D.C. Peace Walk: Change Happens with Good Hope and a Dream. The King family will not be formally speaking at the Peace Walk; however, media is invited to capture footage and photos of the family crossing the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge.

Maj. Gen. William J. Walker named House sergeant-at-arms, first Black man in post

Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday named Maj. Gen. William J. Walker, commander of the D.C. National Guard, as the 38th House sergeant-at-arms, marking the first time a Black person has served as the House's top law enforcement officer.

Walker has earned bipartisan praise.

“Throughout his long, dedicated career in public service, General William Walker has proven to be a leader of great integrity and experience who will bring his steady and patriotic leadership to this vital role,” Pelosi said in a statement. “His historic appointment as the first Black American to serve as Sergeant-at-Arms is an important step forward for this institution and our nation."

Walker has 39 years of military experience, most recently as commanding general of the D.C. National Guard. Additionally, he has worked as a special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The House must vote to elect Walker to the position. The announcement was met with support from California's Kevin McCarthy, the top House Republican.

“Every member, staffer, employee, and visitor to the Capitol should feel safe with Maj. Gen. Walker at the helm of Sergeant at Arms operations,” McCarthy said in a statement. “We are thankful for his continued service to our country, and I look forward to working with him as he transitions to this new role.”

Walker takes over the role from acting House Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Blodgett, a temporary replacement for Paul D. Irving, who resigned after the attack along with Michael Stenger, the former Senate sergeant-at-arms, and Steven Sund, the former Capitol Police chief.

[SOURCE: ROLL CALL]

Rep. John Lewis to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol next week

The late Rep. John Lewis will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol — followed by an unprecedented public viewing outside of the building — next week, as a tribute to the civil rights icon who died July 17.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday evening that Lewis will be honored in a private ceremony in the Rotunda on Monday, followed by a public viewing atop the East Front Steps on Monday night and Tuesday.

There will also be a procession through Washington, D.C., which has not yet been scheduled, where members of the public will be able to pay their respects “in a socially-distant manner,” according to a Pelosi and McConnell statement.

The Georgia Democrat will be the second Black lawmaker to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol, an honor reserved for the most revered of Americans. Members were also able to bid farewell to former Rep. Elijah Cummings, who died in October 2019, in the Capitol Rotunda. Only about three dozen people have ever had the honor.

Pelosi and McConnell also made clear that — amid the pandemic — Lewis’ public memorial cannot resemble the massive services of past years, with thousands of people flocking to Washington, D.C., to pay their respects to former presidents and other national figures.

With coronavirus cases still spiking nationwide, Lewis’ family has encouraged members of the public not to travel to Washington and to instead direct their tributes virtually.

Pelosi and McConnell advised that masks will be required for members of the public who wish to wait in line to pay their respects to Lewis on the Capitol steps. Social distancing will also be “strictly enforced,” they said.

[SOURCE: POLITICO]

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]

Congressional Black Caucus member to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Primaries go both ways

Queens (NY) Democratic boss and 11-term congressman Greg Meeks took a thinly-veiled jab at fellow Big Apple Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Friday, urging her to back off her racially-tinged feud with party leaders or face a fight for her political life.

In an interview with the Daily News, Meeks fumed over Ocasio-Cortez’s recent racial beef with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and pushed back against her left-wing allies at Justice Democrats for openly backing insurgent candidates trying to unseat members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

He also said the CBC can play the same game.

In an interview with the Daily News, Meeks fumed over Ocasio-Cortez’s recent racial beef with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and pushed back against her left-wing allies at Justice Democrats for openly backing insurgent candidates trying to unseat members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

He also said the CBC can play the same game.

“Primaries go two ways," Meeks said when asked whether his wing of the party would consider challenging progressive members next year, including Ocasio-Cortez. “If someone picks a fight with somebody else, you fight back. That’s what my parents told me.”

Meeks stressed there weren’t any current plans to challenge Ocasio-Cortez, but left the door open: "If you get in the ring, expect that people are going to start throwing punches.”

The Justice Democrats, a progressive political action committee that is closely aligned with Ocasio-Cortez and propelled her to victory in 2018, has already backed primary challenges against CBC members, including 10-term Rep. Lacy Clay (D-Mo.).

Meeks said the Justice Democrats and left-leaning lawmakers may be shooting the party in the foot.

“I would hope that these individuals would realize who the opposition is here,” Meeks said, referring to Republicans. “The focus should be to keep the majority, grow the majority and win the presidency.”

[NY DAILY NEWS]

Rep. Al Green breaks with Pelosi on Trump impeachment

Democratic Congressman Al Green is publicly breaking with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling for the impeachment of President Trump from the House floor. Rep. Green tells MSNBC's Ari Melber "we must not allow political expediency to trump the moral imperative to do the right thing". Watch the full interview below:

Stacey Abrams to give Dem. response of the State of the Union

Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said Stacey Abrams, who was narrowly defeated in the 2018 gubernatorial race in Georgia, will give the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address.

The Democratic response will give Abrams a major platform to counter the President following his address to Congress and the nation — and the speech is sure to further elevate her national profile.

"Her electrifying message of courage, perseverance and hope reinvigorated our nation and our politics, and continues to inspire millions of Americans in every part of the country," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement. "Stacey Abrams embodies the American Dream, and her powerful message of progress for all is deeply needed during this time for our country."

"Stacey Abrams offers a welcome, stark contrast to President (Donald) Trump's politics of division and lack of leadership as American families are still feeling the impacts of his self-imposed shutdown," Schumer said in a statement. "Stacey Abrams is a present and future leader in this country. She is a dynamic, moral leader; she delivered results on the issues that matter most to Americans; and she tirelessly pursues fairness and justice for everyone in her state."

Via Twitter Stacey Abrams released the following statement:

At a moment when our nation needs to hear from leaders who can unite for a common purpose, I am honored to be delivering the Democratic State of the Union response.

Marcia Fudge endorses Nancy Pelosi for Speaker

Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) endorsed Democratic leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) for Speaker in the next Congress in a surprise move Tuesday, abandoning the idea of challenging her.

Fudge, who huddled with Pelosi in the Capitol on Friday, said Pelosi has offered to restore a defunct subcommittee on elections, and to make Fudge the chairwoman.

The issue of voting rights has been a top priority of members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), which Fudge used to lead, particularly since a 2013 Supreme Court decision scrapped key protections previously provided under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Fudge is vowing to use her new gavel to restore those protections.

"Leader Pelosi has granted me the opportunity to create the record necessary to satisfy the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Shelby County v. Holder, so that the protections of the Voting Rights Act will be reinstated and improved,” Fudge said in a statement.

“She has also assured me that the most loyal voting bloc in the Democratic party, Black women, will have a seat at the decision-making table," she added.

"I am now confident that we will move forward together and that the 116th Congress will be a Congress of which we can all be proud. I now join my colleagues in support of the leadership team of Pelosi, [Steny] Hoyer and [James] Clyburn."

[SOURCE: THE HILL]

Rep.Marcia Fudge on possibly challenging Pelosi for Speaker of the House: Our leadership should be diverse

Marcia Fudge, the congresswoman from Ohio who may be launching a bid against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House, told CNN's Elizabeth Landers that she is undecided about her bid, but seems bolstered by the outreach she's receiving. Watch her comments below.

Rep. Marcia Fudge weighing a bid for House Speaker

Ohio Democratic Congresswoman Marcia Fudge says she's considering challenging California Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi for House Speaker.

Fudge said she does not believe Pelosi has enough votes to win the job, as many newly elected Democrats promised not to support her. Opponents to Pelosi are seeking an alternative candidate and have approached her about the job.

"People are asking me to do it, and I am thinking about it," Fudge told cleveland.com. "I need to give it some thought and see if I have an interest. I am at the very beginning of this process. It is just in discussion at this point."

Fudge said voters backed Democrats because they wanted a change, and Pelosi doesn't represent that. Fudge is also dismayed that neither of the party's two top leaders, Pelosi and Maryland's Steny Hoyer, is a minority, and said an African American woman should be in leadership.

"When you look at the people who support this party the most, they are women and African Americans and especially African American women," said Fudge. "We keep talking about diversity, but there is nothing diverse about the top of our ticket. We have to not just talk the talk, but walk the walk."

Read more: Rep. Marcia Fudge weighing a bid for House Speaker

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

Democratic takeover could bring first black speaker of the house

Upheaval in the Democratic caucus could pave the way for a historic House leader — and some potential names are already being discussed.

The next speaker of the House could be a black Democrat. And Congress would never be the same.

In 230 years, there’s never been a black speaker, or any black lawmaker seriously in the running for the post. That could change after voters go to the polls in November.

Democrats are their closest to winning back the House in years. Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said she will run for speaker again, but after 16 years at the top, some lawmakers — and a rising number of Democratic candidates — want someone else to take over.

The prospect of a black speaker, which seemed like a long shot just months ago, has started to bubble up more in private conversations in recent weeks, particularly among Democrats in the influential, 48-member Congressional Black Caucus.

After Rep. Joe Crowley of New York, a potential Pelosi successor, went down in a shocking primary defeat in June, the questions about who might replace her have only grown. And that raises the possibility of an African-American Democrat being sworn in as the 55th speaker on Jan. 3.

The members with the likeliest shot, according to more than 20 Democratic lawmakers and aides, include Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, currently the No. 3 House Democrat; Hakeem Jeffries of New York; Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, current chairman of the CBC; Elijah Cummings of Maryland; and Marcia Fudge of Ohio.

Read more: Democratic takeover could bring first black speaker

200 Black female leaders criticize Pelosi, Schumer for 'failure to protect' Waters

In a letter black female leaders and allies expressed their “deep disappointment“ with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for their “recent failure to protect“ Rep. Maxine Waters “from unwarranted attacks from the Trump administration and others in the GOP.“ Read that letter below:

200 Black female leaders letter in support of Maxine Waters by Councilman George L. Cook III on Scribd

Congressional Black Caucus issues statement in defense of Maxine Waters

Unlike the current Democratic "leaders," Charles Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, who have offered only criticism and no support to Maxine Waters after her comments asking supporters to confront those who work for Trump, The Congressional Black Caucus has stated their support of Waters:

“Congresswoman Waters has been a champion for justice her entire life so it should not be a surprise to anyone who knows her that she has chosen to stand up and speak out against something as unjust as separating young immigrant children from their parents and is encouraging others to do the same. This is who she is and this is who she will always be, and our country is better because of it. 

“In exercising her constitutional right to freedom of speech at a recent rally, Congresswoman Waters did not, as she has made clear, encourage violence, like President Trump has been doing since the election. She, instead, encouraged Americans to exercise their constitutional rights to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly by letting President Trump and members of his Administration know that separating young immigrant children from their parents is not who we are as a country. 

“We cannot forget that President Trump, as a candidate, encouraged his supporters to beat up his detractors at rallies, and, as president, morally equated white supremacists with anti-racist activists and encouraged police officers to beat up suspects. In fact, almost every day President Trump says something that makes this country more dangerous for people who look like Congresswoman Waters and other minorities. Where is the national conversation on civility in these moments? 

“Does the Administration have a plan to reunite the 2,300 immigrant children who have been separated from their parents? If so, where is it and when will it be implemented? These are the questions we should be asking. But, for some reason, too many folks find it easier to question the motives of the congresswoman who is protesting the unjust policy, instead of the president and administration officials who are implementing it.”

Pelosi nominates Rep. Hakeem Jefferies for vice chair post

By George L. Cook III AfricanAmericanReports.Com

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi is attempting to spread around responsibilities and opportunities within democratic leadership positions in the House of Representatives. She is doing so to address the concerns of younger less tenured members in the House.

In doing so she has nominated several newer members to leadership positions. Among them is Rep. Hakeem Jefferies (NY) who she has nominated as a vice chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. Jefferies has served four years and has just been elected to a third term.

The House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) is tasked with developing a Caucus-wide message that forcefully communicates where House Democrats stand, that resonates with hardworking Americans, and that presents a sharp contrast to House Republicans’ special interest first agenda.