Americans were horrified in the summer of 2020 at the horrific killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and others during encounters with police. These tragedies highlighted the deep-seated injustices that have long affected Black Americans and denied equal justice for all. Not only is our criminal justice system broken, but racial disparities continue to exist in many aspects of American life and our economy, including income, wealth, housing, health care, and access to higher education. For too long this country has ignored the need to engage in real, serious policymaking focused on eliminating these disparities and ensuring that every American has an equal shot at ‘life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’
That’s why House Democrats passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in 2020 to root out bias in police departments and ban practices such as chokeholds and no-knock warrants. It’s why Democrats are continuing to make equity and reducing disparities a focus of our economic agenda and our approach to addressing the COVID-19 crisis, which has highlighted the many racial disparities in health care in our country. In the 117th Congress, this will continue to be a priority for Democrats as we work with the Biden Administration to ensure that our efforts to build back better do not leave any Americans behind and to make equal justice a reality for all Americans.
