U.S. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.) is poised to become the next chair of the Congressional Black Caucus in the next session of Congress, marking a pivotal moment for the longtime New York congresswoman and the 53-year-old caucus.
When the next session of Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3, Clarke — who, as current first vice chair, is running unopposed for the chairmanship — could lead the CBC during its largest membership. This comes as Democrats face down a Republican trifecta of complete control of Congress and a White House filled with the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump.
While Congresswoman Clarke admits she and her Congressional Black Caucus colleagues are “extremely disappointed” by Vice President Kamala Harris’ defeat, she believes the caucus can effectively stand between Republicans and policies that stand to bring harm to Black communities.
“It’s all hands on deck, making sure that we are maximizing on the skill and expertise of all of the members of the Congressional Black Caucus … drilling down on Project 2025, making sure that we are vigilant with respect to the application of policy changes and how it impacts every member, every district,” Clarke told theGrio.
The congresswoman noted several bright spots in the 2024 election for the CBC, like the expansion of the caucus and the picking up of more “non-traditional” seats, like Representative-elect Janelle Bynum flipping Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. The congresswoman also highlighted the historic wins of Senators-elect Angela Alsobrooks in Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester in Delaware – both Black women – bringing the total number of CBC members in the U.S. Senate to four, which is the most in the caucus’ history.
“We will have members on every committee of jurisdiction, which puts us in a good place, in terms of … advancing legislation that will nurture the benefit of Black communities across this country,” said Clarke.
She added, “…in addition to that, we’re in a position to fight back against misinformation and disinformation as it pertains to whatever colleagues may advance that is not in the best interest of Black communities.”
Clarke said the CBC must be “vigilant” now more than ever before as it serves as a “vanguard for Black communities across the country.” In spite of Republicans having complete control of federal power in Washington, D.C., next year, Congresswoman Clarke said caucus members will continue to be laser-focused on reintroducing key legislation to advance voting rights protections, combat police brutality, and establish a path forward for reparations.
“We’re going to continue to be the conscience of the Congress and to advance legislation that greatly benefits Black communities,” the CBC chair hopeful vowed.
Democrats are already gearing up for a contentious four years under a second Trump administration. The president-elect has nominated several controversial picks to his cabinet, including former Congressman Matt Gaetz as attorney general, Fox News host Pete Hegseth as defense secretary, and, most recently, wrestling entertainment mogul Linda McMahon as education secretary.
Clarke said she isn’t surprised by what many see as several unqualified picks by Trump or the lack of diversity in his proposed administration thus far. The congresswoman argued that the selections prove that Trump intends to implement the controversial Project 2025, which he claimed he knew nothing about during the campaign cycle.
“It’s pretty clear to me and members of the Congressional Black Caucus that the planning around Project 2025 puts Black communities in the crosshairs for mistreatment and retribution,” said Clarke.
The congresswoman said she is particularly concerned about Trump’s plan for the “largest” mass deportation the country has seen, which she described as “uncharted territory.”
“We don’t want to imply that all immigrants are criminals … the overwhelming majority are not,” she told theGrio.
While the issue of immigration and talks of deportations have largely focused on immigrants from Mexico and Latin America, Clarke said she is equally concerned about Black immigrants.
“We live in a society that stigmatized people of African descent to begin with,” she explained. “And so when you think about the horrible misinformation campaign that was waged against the Haitian immigrants of Springfield, Ohio, then you have a preview into sort of a justification and targeting of people of African descent in this mass deportation.”
Though Democrats and members of the Congressional Black Caucus will certainly use their positions to oppose what they see as harmful policies from the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, they are also hopeful there can be areas of bipartisanship.
Rep. Clarke said she would like to see the re-establishment of the popular Child Tax Credit, which expired in 2021, and legislation to better improve privacy laws in the tech space, particularly on social media. However, the congresswoman admits she is unsure whether such bipartisan cooperation is possible in the next Congress.
“The body has changed a bit in terms of its membership, and with that comes a change in chemistry and strategy from the GOP,” she said. “It’s much more magnetized … so we hope there will be places where we can connect.”
