President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are set to meet with civil rights leaders and organizations Wednesday to discuss voting rights and police reform.
The meeting will take place in the Roosevelt Room and will feature representatives from the National Urban League, the NAACP and the Reverend Al Sharpton. There’s growing frustration among civil rights leaders and groups at the lack of movement on voting rights and police reforms as Republicans have stalled and blocked attempts at passing both.
Sharpton, who will attend the meeting, told MSNBC Wednesday morning Biden may have to choose between working around the filibuster and his own presidential legacy.
“One of our concerns is that the President used the pulpit of the White House
and his own persuasiveness to deal with members of the Senate and have an open discussion around a workaround in terms of the filibuster,” Sharpton said. “We can not in this tine and I do not think the president wants history to say that during his presidency, there was the continued weakening of voting rights for people who put and vice President Harris in office.”Sharpton added the group of civil rights leaders will offer methods for Biden’s Administration to effectively try and use his power as the chief executive of this country.
Plans for police reform through the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act have hit a snag as negotiations have stalled
due to police organizations refusing to bend on qualified immunity. Additionally Republicans blocked an attempt to pass the For the People Act last week, meaning both efforts are currently on hold.Vice President Harris will also announce a $25 million investment by the Democratic National Committee for its “I Will Vote” program to boost voter registration and participation going into the 2022 midterms and the 2024 presidential election.
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison (D-S.C), who announced a similar $20 million effort
in April, touted the announcement.“I’ve said time and again that the ‘D’ in Democrat stands for deliver, and today we are delivering innovative and historic resources to protect this fundamental part of our democracy,” Harrison said in a statement according to MSNBC.
Civil rights leaders and organizations are also working on their own plans to bring awareness to their effort and those working against the effort.