Black lawmakers say their patience with the White House is wearing thin when it comes to addressing the minority communities hardest hit by the recession.
While still careful about criticizing President Obama publicly, they appear to be fed up after a year of watching him dedicate trillions of dollars to prop up banks and corporations and fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, while double-digit unemployment among blacks crept even higher, the Associated Press reports.
“Obama has tried desperately to stay away from race, and all of us understand what he’s doing,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, D-Mo. “But when you have such a disproportionate number of African-Americans unemployed, it would be irresponsible not to direct attention and resources to the people who are receiving the greatest level of pain.”
The 42-member Congressional Black Caucus took a stand last week when 10 of its members held up a financial regulation bill backed by the administration until leaders agreed to add about $3 billion in foreclosure relief for struggling homeowners. House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., later added $1 billion for neighborhood revitalization programs.
During the stalemate, the lawmakers issued a statement saying they would no longer support public policy “defined by the world view of Wall Street.”
“Policy for the least of these must be integrated into everything that we do,” they said.
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Article courtesy of: eurweb.com
