Democratic Party of Georgia Statement on RNC Office Opening Today in College Park

Today, ahead of the Republican National Committee’s office opening in College Park, the Democratic Party of Georgia released the following statement:

“It’s both ironic and shameful that the RNC is opening an office in College Park while Donald Trump, the leader of the Republican Party, is still trying to throw out the votes of Black voters in Fulton County after being resoundingly rejected by Georgians in 2020,” Rhyan Lake, spokeswoman for the Democratic Party of Georgia, said. “Instead of making empty political gestures, the GOP should stop passing voter suppression laws that disproportionately hurt Black Georgians and denounce Trump and his hateful and divisive rhetoric.”

Yesterday, President Biden signed an Executive Order on the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Black Americans to tackle systemic racism, make investments to rebuild our social safety net, and strengthen our economy so all people, including Black Americans, can thrive. This is just the latest action the Biden-Harris administration has taken to advance racial equity, including directing every agency across the whole of the federal government to address the lasting impacts of systemic racism on Black communities.

Just nine months in, the Biden-Harris administration has already delivered generation-defining outcomes for Black communities:

Providing Immediate Relief to Black People and Families through the American Rescue Plan 

• The ARP provides cash relief directly to low- and middle-income Americans, and is projected to cut the Black child poverty rate by more than 50% this year and has already cut Black child poverty by 40.1%, lifting approximately 420,000 Black children out of poverty between June and July alone. 
• In addition, the Plan increased Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits by 15% through September 2021. 
• Through this Plan, the President has reduced food insecurity in Black households – which had been double the White household rate – between one-fourth and one-third since early July.

Historic Support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)

• The ARP and other pandemic relief programs provided approximately $3.7 billion to HBCUs, including $260 million specifically for Georgia HBCUs.
• Additionally, HBCUs received approximately $1.6 billion in debt relief to 45 HBCUs, including 13 public institutions and 32 private institutions.
• President Biden signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Opportunity, and Excellence through HBCUs, which will create a government-wide approach to support the needs of HBCUs and the communities they serve and eliminate systemic barriers impeding HBCU participation in Federal programs. 

Lowering Health Care Costs 

• Millions of lower- and middle-income Black families enrolled in health insurance marketplaces saw their premiums lowered or eliminated as a result of the ARP. Nationwide, existing consumers saved an average of $67 per person per month on their premiums.  
• These monthly savings were even higher in 20 states and the District of Columbia where existing consumers saved, on average, over $75 per month. In addition, millions of uninsured Americans gained coverage during the Administration’s 2021 Special Enrollment Period (SEP). Of those newly signing up for HealthCare.gov coverage who attested to race or ethnicity, 15% were Black Americans, up over 60% from 2019.

Ensuring an Equitable Pandemic Response 

• Nationwide, Black people have died from COVID-19 at 1.4 times the rate of White people. The ARP provided $160 billion for the vaccines, tests, personal protective equipment, and public health workforce needed to address the spread of COVID-19, an investment that is helping to drive down racial disparities in prevention and care.  
• Due to the ARP and the President’s other investments in equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine, multiple studies show that the gap in COVID vaccination rates in Black Americans compared to Whites and Latinos has closed. Data show that more than 70% of Black Americans, 73% of Latinos and 71% of White Americans have received at least one shot, compared to 56%, 57%, and 65%, respectively, in May. 

Taking Strong Action to Reform Our Criminal Justice System

• In September, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a ban on use of chokeholds and carotid restraints except where deadly force is necessary, and new restrictions on no-knock warrants—implementing reforms for federal law enforcement administratively that the President had called on Congress to enact nationwide through the George Floyd Justice in Police Act. 
• The Department also implemented a new policy requiring federal agents to wear body cameras when executing search warrants and pre-planned arrests. These changes make real the policy reform the country must undertake to prevent tragic killings like those of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in the future.
• The DOJ withdrew guidance issued in the previous Administration that required prosecutors to always charge the harshest sentences, replacing it with guidance that restored discretion to make decisions about charging, plea agreements, and advocacy at sentencing based on an individualized assessment of relevant facts.

Fighting Laws that Make it Harder to Vote 

• The President has appointed some of the nation’s leading civil rights leaders to top positions in agencies across his Administration. Importantly, the DOJ has doubled its staff devoted to voting rights – an investment that is already paying off, as evidenced by the Department issuing formal guidance on the federal laws that protect the right to vote and bringing enforcement actions against recent threats to voting rights, including a lawsuit against Georgia’s new attempt to target the Black electorate. DOJ also launched a task force to help combat threats against election officials and election workers.

###