At annual legislative conference, Black lawmakers confront Trump-era cuts and civil rights setbacks

Washington – The Congressional Black Caucus launched its annual legislative conference this week, which was upset by the second term of President Donald Trump and by the presence of national guard patrols near the conference.

The caucus of 62 members, who are all democrats, gathered with business leaders, activists, experts in politics, local government officials and other professionals across the country to develop strategies for the construction of its new program and to counter Trump policies, who have disrupted the programs of the federal government which deal with civil rights, education, healthcare, housing, work, among other areas.

Although this year’s conference presented the usual panels, strategy sessions and cocktails, many participants hoped to hear the “conscience of the congress” – a nickname given to the CBC for its work of civil rights – on the lessons that can be learned from American history for the current political climate, and how legislators should govern in the event of future elections.

Here are some comments from the CBC legislators who attended this year’s conference:

“It will probably be one of the most consecutive weeks that you have ever spent in your life,” said Clyburn, former Democrat chief of the Chamber, at an address at the start of the conference. “Take it from me: we are about to lose this democracy. We are. And if you don’t think so, take a trip through the history of the country. ”

“I hope I would not leave this land, and my children and grandchildren would not be condemned to live the life that their grandparents and their parents lived,” said the 85-year-old congress member.

“If we are made at that time, we will win this year. If we lose, our children would not think of us well. ”

“This is not a conventional period. This is the moment when we have our own destiny,” said Clarke, president of the Congressional Black Caucus, in an address to the participants in the conference.

“This is not a situation where we can necessarily say, well, look, these people in the congress obtained it. Because the congress is broken,” said Clarke. “We have delivered democracy to the United States of America. Without the abolitionists, without the leaders of civil rights, if it was not for soldiers of foot on the ground, we would still live in apartheid. So let’s go straight and straighten your back. “

Clarke added: “I believe in us because it was not for the people who preceded me, I would not be here today as president of the largest black caucus in the history of the United States.”

“It is not that if (the Democrats) get the hammer, we rebuild what we had. We also take this opportunity to see what we can start from scratch,” said McClellan.

“There are Republicans in the rooms of the Committee, or in delegations, which share our concerns on certain issues, be it the funding reductions of the NIH, whether it is the problems of first amendment, or whether it is rolled up of clean energy. And they take their concerns behind the scenes of the administration.

“It will be a new day, in part because they have changed the governing structure so much,” Ivey said about how Democrats plan to govern in response to Trump’s modifications to the federal government.

“Part of what we are going to have to do is dismiss a large part of the bureaucracy which he is setting at the moment, to move them and start again to zero,” said Ivey, who represents the suburbs of Washington. “And we must make sure that we understand that for a large part of the legislation we have made, we are counting on special government agencies to make it work. This will no longer steal. The Ministry of Justice and the Civil Rights Division are an example.”

“The reality is that some of the bad things will happen,” said Kamlager-Dove. “There is no strategy to stop some of the bad things, except to continue to educate people on hypocrisy and duplicity that occurs.”

“Many of these special elections, many of these local elections that have occurred since Donald Trump came into office and started implementing his 2025 project, the Democrats won,” she said. “The strategy is to initiate community organizations. The strategy is to work more with diligence with our legal community. The strategy is to wear everything in court. The strategy is to create a little indignation. The strategy is to fight battles during local elections. The facts of the strategy are to ensure that we are filled so that when 2028 arrives, people are ready. ”

“I think the air feels much heavier than normally. That being said, after each session, after each commitment I have had, I leave it embraced and more fortified,” said Pressley.

“It is so important that we relying on the community, but also that we are setting up strategies, that we are intentional in our thought partnership and in our organization, in resistance work and reinimage work,” she said. “So I would say, you know, right now at the moment, I feel very encouraged.”

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