WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — President Joe Biden said the death of George Floyd shifted the ground on racial issues in the United States.
“It was the knee on the neck of justice and it wouldn’t be forgotten,” Biden said Tuesday as he signed a series of executive orders in an attempt to address historic and systemic racial inequalities.
President Biden signed 4 executive orders, including one directing the Justice Department to phase out and end contracts with private for-profit prisons. A second order directs Housing and Urban Development to address discriminatory housing practices.
“Just imagine if instead of denying millions of Americans the right to own a home and build generational wealth, we made it possible for them to buy a home,” Biden said.
Another executive order directs federal agencies to strengthen relationships with Native American communities. The final one condemns and addresses racism and hate crimes directed at Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders due to the pandemic.
“President Biden released his American Rescue Plan that will make historic investments in advancing equity,” Director of Domestic Policy Susan Rice said. “Independent economists estimate that his plan will cut child poverty in half.”
Rice said the Biden Administration will continue working toward equality by working to get congressional support for President Biden’s economic and racial equity agenda.
“If we closed racial gaps in income and opportunity,” Rice said, “we could add $5 trillion to the US economy over the next 5 years.”