Republican Rep. Byron Donalds is calling out the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for blocking his membership from joining the group.
What We Know:
- Donalds is a U.S. Representative for the 19th congressional district of Florida and has held the position since January. His stance on issues includes supporting the 2nd amendment, replacing Obamacare, opposing the Green New Deal, supporting school choice initiatives, and changing state voting laws. Donalds is one of two Black Republicans currently serving in the House of Representatives.
- In an email to NBC News, Donalds claims his political party affiliation is keeping him out of the CBC. Harrison Fields, Donalds’ spokesman, stated, “the sad reality is although the Congressman and those in the CBC share the same race, the (R) behind his name disqualifies him from membership today.” Without responding directly to Donalds’ claims, a spokesperson for the caucus said that “we will work with those who share our values and priorities for the constituents we serve.”
“The Congressional Black Caucus has a stated commitment to ensuring Black Americans have the opportunity to achieve the American Dream. As a newly elected Black Member of Congress, my political party should not exempt me from a seat at the table dedicated to achieving this goal,” said Donalds.
- The CBC was established in 1971 and has been committed to advocating for those that are a part of the Black community. This includes protecting voting rights, fighting for a police accountability bill, and creating a job bill that helps the Black community succeed. Key members of the caucus are Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO). Former President Barack Obama was also a member of the group during his time as Senator of Illinois.
- The caucus is officially nonpartisan, so members of both parties are welcomed to join, yet there has only been a handful of Republicans to become members. According to Fox News, Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL), said that she didn’t understand Donalds’ support of former President Donald Trump, but that he would be welcomed into the CBC. However, she made that statement before the Jan. 6th Capitol riots, which has now caused a bigger divide between Democrats and Republicans. Donalds has backed Trump’s claims of voter fraud and wants to create new voting laws in the states Trump lost.
- Donalds was very vocal on his campaign trail that he had plans of joining the CBC. While serving in Florida’s state House, he was a part of the state’s Black Caucus and had hopes of moving up to the congressional one. Donalds wants to discuss criminal justice reform and bipartisan agreements with the group. The last Republican member of the caucus was former Rep. Mia Love (UT), who joined in 2015.
“I have a perspective being a 42-year-old Black man, who’s come up in America after a lot of the battles through the civil rights movement that I think would actually be a helpful perspective to the CBC. Whether they want to take advantage of that, is really up to them,” said Donalds.
Donalds has spoken to various members of the caucus about joining the group, however, he is now receiving the cold shoulder. Six months ago, the CBC inducted other newly elected congress members into the group. The CBC currently has no Republican members.
