Dec 3, 2024 Story by: Editor
The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) is set to have a record-breaking 62 members for the upcoming session of Congress, contributing to the highest number of Black lawmakers in U.S. history, as outlined in a post-election report shared with NBC News.
In total, 67 Black individuals will serve in Congress, with five Republican members excluded from the CBC.
Originally, the caucus had planned to champion a policy agenda for Black and marginalized groups during a Kamala Harris administration. However, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) stated that the CBC’s role will now focus on holding President-elect Donald Trump and his congressional allies accountable.
“We’ve always been the conscience of the Congress, and that’s no matter who’s in charge,” said Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in an interview with NBC News. “We always try to work with folks where we can. But we call them out also. And now we have more of these leaders to call truth to power, to make sure that the voices of the voiceless are heard.”
Founded in 1971, the Congressional Black Caucus is a non-partisan organization, though all of its members are Democrats. The CBC’s mission focuses on advocating for Black and marginalized groups through initiatives such as voter rights, healthcare access, educational opportunities, job creation, criminal justice reform, and fostering foreign relations with Black-majority nations. According to the CBC’s website, its members represent 120 million people in the U.S. and 41% of Black Americans.
Meeks emphasized that the CBC’s agenda for the 119th Congress will center on challenging policies from the Trump administration that specifically impact Black communities, such as healthcare access and prescription drug costs. He vowed that the CBC will make its stance clear and loud.
“Instead of just having a quartet, now you’ve got a whole choir,” Meeks said. “And we will be loud, we will be clear, and we’re going to be constant and consistent because this administration is a danger.”
Meeks criticized several of Trump’s Cabinet selections, especially Dr. Mehmet Oz, appointed to oversee Medicaid and Medicare, and Linda McMahon, Trump’s pick for secretary of education. He predicted that the CBC would continue to speak out against these policies while proactively addressing issues that affect the general public.
NBC News’ request for comment from the Trump transition team went unanswered.
Meeks also pointed to efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, a move the CBC strongly opposes. “We’re going to be showing exactly who is working on that effort because it’s going to have a direct effect on our community,” he said.
With both the House and Senate controlled by Republicans, the potential impact of the CBC and Democrats in Congress will be limited. However, Niccara Campbell Wallace, executive director of the Rolling Sea Action Fund, noted that the CBC’s growth—up from 60 members in the 118th Congress—is particularly significant in light of Republican control.
“Despite the Republicans having the House and the Senate next session,” Wallace said, “you feel good about what these historic number of Black Congress members can do in terms of helping influence what comes down the pipe.”
The Rolling Sea Action Fund is a hybrid PAC that supports Black congressional candidates and funds ads and election expenses.
Wallace added that both her work and the CBC’s efforts are crucial because “Black Americans have believed in the ideals of what America can and will be, despite us not always having a seat at the table or being in the forefront of the Founding Fathers’ minds.”
In addition to countering the Trump administration, Meeks is already looking ahead to the 2026 midterm elections.
“Two years go around very fast,” Meeks remarked. “That’s why we’re going to be campaigning and moving forward for the entire two years.”
He further stated, “We’ll be making it clear that in just two years, we can reverse and stop some of the things, some of the tragedies, of the administration-elect, and that their policies will be putting the plague on our communities, as well as poor white communities. It’s going to have an effect on the whole country.” Source: Yahoo News
