President Joe Biden has come under fire from the left in recent days due to his reluctance to support a number of leftist causes such as cancelling student debt.
However, the White House revealed on Wednesday that Biden may be on board with one of the most radical policy proposals ever: Racial reparations.
Toeing the line
Biden appears to be having difficulty toeing the line between radical enough to appease his far-left supporters and moderate enough to keep the ire of his moderate constituents at bay.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki appears to be eager to head off criticism from Black Lives Matter activists, stating on Wednesday that Biden is committed to taking “comprehensive action to address the systemic racism that persists today.”
BLM activists showed themselves to be the most powerful lobbyists in the nation in 2020, though the political will to bring their demands to fruition appears to be fading with Donald Trump no longer in the White House.
However, Psaki was careful to pay lip service to the cause of racial reparations during her Wednesday press conference.
A reporter asked Psaki: “Does the President support the [reparations] legislation? He stopped short of saying that during the campaign. Would he sign that if it came to his desk?”
The White House spokesperson replied that “he’s supported a study of reparations, which is I believe is what’s being discussed, and studying the continuing impacts of slavery, which is being discussed in this hearing on H.R. 40, I believe it is.”
“And he continues to demonstrate his commitment to take comprehensive action to address the systemic racism that persists today,” She added. “Obviously, that is — having that study is a part of that, but he has signed an executive order on his first day, which would begin to deliver on his commitment to having an across-government approach to addressing racial inequality and making sure equity is a part of his entire policy agenda.”
Wildly unpopular
The notion of racial reparations is wildly unpopular among the vast majority of Americans, with only 20 percent indicating support, but Biden can’t come right out and condemn the proposal due to the bad optics.
After being pressed about whether Biden would specifically sign a reparations bill if it made it to his desk, Psaki dodged: “Well, it’s working its way through Congress. He’d certainly support a study, but we’ll see what happens through the legislative process.”
“He actually signed a number of actions on racial equity in — on his first day or his first couple of days in office because he felt it was essential to send the message to the American people and the world that having an across-government approach, Psaki added. “Ensuring that equity is a central part of his policy agenda was, you know, not just a single — a singular issue but something that would be a part of every policy issue he approaches, whether it’s healthcare, whether it’s economic inequality, a range of issues.”
The post Psaki dodges after reporters attempt to pin her down on Biden’s support for reparations legislation first appeared on Conservative Institute.
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