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Karine Jean-Pierre Dodges Question About Biden’s Support For Reparations

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White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dodged a question about whether President Joe Biden supported reparations for slavery Tuesday.

“We understand that there’s a legislation on the Hill currently on this, on the study of reparations … and we think Congress is the appropriate venue for consideration on such action,” Jean-Pierre said in response to a reporter’s question during Tuesday’s White House press briefing. “And so, we’re going to leave it there for Congress to decide to let them go through their process that they’re taking at this moment, but I would — I would lay out and speak to what the president has done.”

Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas introduced legislation, the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act or HR 40, to study reparations Jan. 9. A similar bill, also introduced by Jackson-Lee, was voted out of the House Judiciary Committee on April 14, 2021.

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President Joe Biden said during the 2020 presidential campaign that he supported a commission on reparations, Politico reported, however, after Jackson-Lee’s bill was voted on by the House Judiciary Committee, Biden did not push it during a speech to mark the 100th anniversary of a race riot targeting blacks in Tulsa in June 2021. Jean-Pierre said at the time that Biden backed a reparations committee, but felt the priority was to “root out systemic racism,” according to Politico.

San Francisco approved a draft of a plan to provide $5 million payments to black residents who met at least two criteria as a means of providing reparations for slavery Mar. 14. The criteria in the proposal included serving time for drug crimes or those affected by a 1954-1973 urban renewal plan.

Biden signed an executive order establishing “Agency Equity Teams” Feb. 16, a follow up to an order he signed on his first day in office. Among the provisions in that executive order is a requirement to ensure that the use of artificial intelligence by government “advanced equity.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.