WASHINGTON — In honor of the 100th anniversary of Black History Month, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Wednesday criticized the Trump administration for economic and civil rights policies they say harm Black Americans.
In her opening remarks, caucus chairwoman Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-NY., said President Donald Trump has been attacking democratic freedoms through his administration’s efforts to roll back civil rights, voting access, and social programs.
“It is critical that we gather in this moment, given what we are up against across the country,” Clarke said. “Our communities are voicing deep concerns about the threat posed by Donald Trump and his allies.”
Despite Trump’s assertions that he’s supported by the Black people, many Black leaders tell a different story.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NY, said Black communities suffer from the failed policies of the president and members of the Republican Party.
“Under the Trump administration, the Black unemployment rate is up, the Black home ownership rate is down, and health care is being ripped away from millions of Americans, disproportionately impacting Black and brown communities and lower income white communities throughout the nation,” Jeffries said.
Trump’s 2025 “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act laid the groundwork to take away healthcare from roughly 15 million people and threatened housing access for more than 170,000 people while abandoning discriminatory practices for families of color.
The House also passed the SAVE Act Wednesday, which prohibits states from processing voter registration applications for federal elections unless applicants provide proof of U.S. citizenship.
“Right now we see pieces of legislation like the SAVE America Act intended to be passed, to pass racist legislation to advance concerted efforts to compress and suppress the Black vote,” said Shavon Arline-Bradley, the President of the National Council of Negro Women.
The press conference came after President Trump posted, and later deleted, an AI-generated video of former President Obama and former First-Lady Michelle Obama as apes last Friday. The post received bipartisan condemnation over the weekend, with Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League, telling Medill News Service Trump’s actions were “reprehensible.”
“The incredible accomplishments of Michelle and Barack Obama don’t deserve to be treated that way, and that’s not what people expect from the presidency,” Morial said.
In a statement to the BBC, White House Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, defended the President’s actions. “Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public,” she told reporters.
According to a Pew Research Study on the 2024 presidential election, Trump “won 15% of Black voters – up from 8% four years earlier.”
In a proclamation honoring this year’s Black History Month, Trump’s message of unity focused on the impact Black Americans’ have had in the greater scheme of America’s history. In his remarks, he cited the accomplishments of “our greatest Americans,” like Frederick Douglass and Jackie Robinson.
“As President, I am fighting to restore the Nation that these titans helped build, and to make America greater than ever before,” Trump said.
Caucus members called for robust protections for democracy and urged to promote legislation and efforts against the Trump administration’s policies.
“We commit today to fight, and fight, and fight until hell freezes over, and then, I can assure you, we will fight on the ice,” Morial said.