By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Washington Bureau Chief and White House Correspondent
“It is a Petrie dish to experiment on Black people and all American people,” believes Damon Hewitt of the Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under Law (Lawyers’ Committee). His observation may be prophetic as the Senate gears up for its part in the reconciliation of the “Big Beautiful Bill” that Hewitt calls “The Kneecap America Bill.“
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the Legacy 8 civil rights organizations that a Senate vote is expected Saturday, and procedural votes are happening before the vote. Sources in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office said the bill would be on President Trump’s desk for his signature by July 4th.
Schumer shared the information with the: NAACP, The Lawyers’ Committee, The National Urban League, The National Council on Black Civic Participation, National Council of Negro Women, National Action Network, The leadership Conference, and the Legal Defense Fund.
Since yesterday’s conversations between civil rights leaders and Schumer, the Lawyers’ Committee wrote a letter on behalf of all the briefed organizations. It states in part, “We urge the Senate to reject both the procedurally impermissible provisions included in the bill, and to reject the harmful policies outlined below, which cut programs that are lifelines to Black people and other communities of color and encroach on the rule of law and civil rights. Congress must not let this budget reconciliation bill become law.”
The letter addressed to House and Senate Leadership also states, “In key areas, it expands federal overreach and accelerates harm to civil rights and public welfare. In its current form, the bill prioritizes tax cuts and government overreach. It would result in millions losing healthcare and reproductive care, food assistance (SNAP), and child tax credits. It would also threaten access to college and graduate school for all but the wealthiest by reducing access to federal student loans and by making repayment plans unaffordable for many working people, and it would reduce access to tax credits for low-income people (EITC).
The letter goes on to say, “Additionally, the bill would prevent states from protecting people from discrimination by companies using algorithms unless they forgo vital resources for broadband access and would add billions of dollars to the national debt to build more immigration detention centers, rival the size of our entire federal prison system.”
The letter that is on its way to Congressional leadership affirms reconciliation with the House Bill and would ‘implement policies and cut programs that are lifelines to Black people, other people of color, and the working poor while simultaneously eroding civil rights protections and the rule of law.”
Reverend William Barber, the founder and leader of Moral Mondays on the Hill, was not a part of the rights organizations’ call with Schumer. However, Barber spoke with Black Press USA and expressed that there is a way to win this battle: “You do the numbers and put a face on it.”
“It’s a big test,” says Hewitt, concerned about the proposed moratorium on AI regulation at the state level included in this budget bill. The moratorium would also prevent future regulation. Hewitt believes it is a gift to tech companies.
Congressman Gregory Meeks shared that if the Senate can get their version of the bill out of committee and on the floor for a vote — and if the version passes — members of the House will be called back next week for reconciliation.
The Senate Budget Committee was concerned about Energy and Natural Resources earlier this week.
