Biden selects Rep. Marcia Fudge as HUD Secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has selected Ohio Rep. Marcia Fudge as his housing and urban development secretary.

Fudge did not confirm her selection on Tuesday evening, telling CNN, "If I were to be named, certainly it's an honor and a privilege to be asked to be in a President's Cabinet. It is something that probably in my wildest dreams I never would have thought about."

"So if I can help this President in any way possible, I'm more than happy to do it," Fudge said. "It's a great honor and a privilege to be part of something so good."

The Secretary manages multiple programs that have thousands of employees. One of the primary duties of the HUD Secretary is to advise the President on issues regarding housing. The Secretary makes policies, creates rules, and coordinates the efforts of HUD, so that headquarters and all offices serve the same mission.

Biden picks Lloyd Austin, retired Army general as his nominee for defense secretary

President-elect Joe Biden has reportedly selected Lioyd Austin III, a retired four-star Army general who most recently led the fights in Afghanistan and Iraq, as his nominee for defense secretary.

Austin would become the first Black leader of the department if confirmed, but likely faces a steep path because he will require a waiver from Congress due to his recent service, an exception granted to only two secretary nominees in the last century.

Austin joined the Army in 1975, but his career is defined by post-9/11 conflicts. He was on the ground early in Iraq, where he was assistant division commander for the 3rd Infantry Division, and Afghanistan, where he commanded the 10th Mountain Division (Light). In 2008, he was named commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq. Austin also served as director of the joint staff, and in 2012 became vice chief of staff of the Army.

His career culminated as the head of U.S. Central Command, which he led from 2013-2016.

According to Title 10 of the United States Code, the defense secretary is among nine Senate-confirmed roles at the Pentagon that would require a waiver if the nominee has been a military officer in the last seven years. Austin retired from the Army in May 2016.

The waiver requires approval by Senate and House majorities, and the president’s signature.

[SOURCE: DEFENSE NEWS]

Civil rights leaders urge Governor Newsom to pick Black woman for U.S. Senate

A coalition of African American civil rights leaders say it would be a “step backward” if Gov. Gavin Newsom does not pick a Black woman to replace Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the U.S. Senate.

In a letter to Newsom, 28 civil rights leaders urged him to pick either U.S. Rep. Karen Bass from Los Angeles or U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee from Oakland. Both are Black women.

Newsom gets to pick who replaces Harris for the final two years of her Senate term. He is facing pressure from various groups, including those wanting him to appoint California’s first Latino U.S. senator.

The letter was signed by leaders from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of Southern California, Al Sharpton’s West Coast National Action Network, and the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP, among others. It says while one Black woman in the Senate is not enough, “zero is unacceptable.”

“We would find any appointment other than Karen Bass or Barbara Lee to carry out the remainder of Vice President- Elect Harris’ term as a step backwards in our struggle for equity and justice for all,” the letter said.

[SOURCE: KTLA]

Cory Booker Introduces Resolution Calling for First United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation

U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has introduced the United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation resolution, urging Congress to form the first commission acknowledging and examining the systemic racism that has disenfranchised Black Americans throughout U.S. history and the racial inequities that persist today. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced the resolution in the House in June.

“This year has brought to bear the harsh reality that systemic racism is ever present in our political, legal, environmental, economic, health, and social institutions,” said Senator Booker. “As a nation, we must acknowledge and grapple with the systemic racism and white supremacy that have been with us since our country’s founding and continues to persist in our laws, our policies and our lives to this day. The first ever Congressional commission on truth, racial healing, and transformation will be a critical compliment to legislative efforts to build a more just and equitable future, including the recent George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the long time movement to establish a commission to study reparations.”

“A painful and dangerous legacy of white supremacy lingers in our country, and we cannot begin healing until we fully acknowledge and understand how our that legacy facilitates inequality today,” said Congresswoman Lee. “Every crisis we’re dealing with right now – police brutality, mass incarceration, poverty, the COVID-19 public health crisis — disproportionately impact communities of color. I’m pleased Senator Booker will be leading our effort in the Senate to follow the lead of the numerous communities across America that have successfully developed Truth Commissions. Only by understanding our past, and confronting the errors that still haunt us today, can we truly move forward as a people and a country.”

Senate Co-sponsors: Markey, Sanders, Blumenthal, Menendez, Coons, Klobuchar, Warren, Duckworth, Whitehouse, Brown, Durbin

House Co-Sponsors (169): Lead Rep. Barbara Lee; Holmes-Norton, Moore, Hastings, Espaillat, Clarke, Brown, Tlaib, Bass, Garcia, McGovern, Omar, Fudge, Jayapal, Barragan, Thompson, Blunt Rochester, Meng, Blumenauer, Hayes, Trone, Khanna, Lowenthal, Maloney, Sanchez, Connolly, Haaland, Watson Coleman, Lewis, Scott, Jackson Lee, Clark, DeSaulnier, Sewell, Bishop, Pressley, Raskin, Sarbanes, Ocasio-Cortez, Meeks, Payne, Rush, Cox, Pingree, McNerney, Cohen, Smith, Beatty, Carson, Horsford, Casten, Schakowsky, Cooper, Lowey, Castro, Adams, Kennedy, Davids, Ruiz, Velazquez, Butterfield, Richmond, Trahan, Pallone, Engel, Grijalva, Evans, Takano, Serrano, Vela, Speier, Escovar, Gallego, Napolitano, Cardenas, Panetta, Lieu, Sires, Luria, Neguse, Dingell, Maloney, McEachin, Wilson, Kelly, Lamb, Ryan, Levin, Bonamici, Welch, Vargas, Price, Crist, Lofgren, Keating, Wasserman Schutlz, Sabian, Clay, Roybal-Allard, Thompson, Eshoo, Chu, DeGette, Kirkpatrick, Johnson, Swalwell, Krishnamoorthi, Neal, Aguilar, Sherman, Pocan, Cicilline, Suozzi, Doggett, Jeffries, Waters, Green, Deutch, Kaptur, Huffman, Crow, Castor, Rouda, DeLauro, Cisneros, Brownley, Kuster, Matsui, Lawrence, Davis, DeFazio, Veasey, Visclosky, Garcia, Boyle, Cuellar, Kim, Lawson, Kilmer, McCollum, Soto, Cleaver, Reppersberger, Dean, Yarmuth, Porter, Phillips, Doyle, Weton, Shalala, Beyer, Kildee, Delgado, Levin, Scheider, Tonko, Bera, Frankel, Quigley, Wild, Garamendi, Stevens, Davis, DelBene, Heck, Torres, Correa, Schiff, Gomez, Peters

Earlier this year, Senator Booker and Representative Lee re-introduced their bicameral bill the Confederate Monument Removal Act. The legislation would remove all statues of people who voluntarily served the Confederate States of America from the National Statuary Hall Collection.

The full text of the resolution can be viewed here.

Rep. Payne, Jr. Votes to Decriminalize Marijuana

Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. voted for the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act today. The bill (H.R. 3884) would decriminalize marijuana nationwide, require federal courts to delete prior marijuana convictions for Americans, and save taxpayers at least $3.6 billion per year.

“This bill is long overdue,” said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. “There are too many Black and Latino men languishing in prison for offenses that are now legal in most states. This bill would right the social and legal wrongs that put them there. In addition, marijuana has been found to help with a variety of medical conditions and even can bring relief to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. I am proud to support this bill and hope the Senate passes it soon.”

The bill would reverse a drug law that has existed since 1937. Since then, dozens of medical studies have shown that marijuana has significant health benefits when taken in controlled quantities, such as post-surgery and chronic pain relief. In addition, marijuana drug enforcement arrests more minorities and subjects them to longer prison sentences than white offenders for the same crimes. Studies have shown that Blacks are four times more likely to be arrested for marijuana possession and Latinos are almost seven times more likely to receive a federal sentence for it than their white counterparts. Currently, 47 out of the 50 U.S. states have reclassified marijuana and many states have made small amounts legal for recreational use.

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