This statement is from Olivia Golden, Executive Director of the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP). 

Washington, DC, November 7, 2020—In an election with record voter turnout, the country has elected a new president and chosen a new direction for the country. President-elect Biden will begin his presidency facing a devastating pandemic, severe economic recession, and a national reckoning on racial injustice. Now more than ever, our public policies must address the health, well-being, and economic circumstance of those who have been most hurt by the current crisis and our country’s legacy of racist policies. And Vice President-elect Kamala Harris will be the first woman, first Black person, and first individual of South Asian descent elected to the nation’s second-highest office. Amid the devastation, the Biden Administration has the opportunity to do tremendous good. The Trump Administration has been the most hostile administration toward people with low incomes in recent history. Now is the time to reverse devastating anti-immigrant policies, attacks on health and nutrition programs, and reimagine the justice system. It is time to advance policies that support children and young adults—our nation’s future—and working families. 

Our nation has much work to do. The Biden Administration and Congress must act swiftly to stop the damage and begin the healing process. Most urgently, the country still needs a comprehensive COVID-19 relief package. That package must address an array of needs that include providing funding to stop the spread of the coronavirus, support people who have lost their jobs, and invest in state and local governments to prevent austerity cuts. 

With a new administration, we have an opportunity to enact a transformative policy agenda to advance the well-being of children, young adults, communities of color, and immigrant communities. CLASP stands ready to assist the Biden Administration and incoming Congress. We will share a series of visionary and practical policy proposals to support people with low incomes and people of color. Importantly, in our proposals we seek not only to undo the damage of the last four years, but to reverse long-standing racial inequities as old as our country itself.  

CLASP congratulates the newly elected officials across the country, and we urge them to use their positions to support the needs of people with low incomes and people of color nationwide.