President Joe Biden will host the family of George Floyd at the White House on Tuesday, one year after he was killed by police in Minneapolis.
Floyd’s death sparked massive international protests against systemic racism and police violence.
Biden first met the Floyd family in June 2020 in the aftermath of his death and the beginning of a summer of racial reckoning. He also spoke with the Floyd family last month following the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who was found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter for Floyd’s death.
Tuesday’s visit to the White House comes as Congress is likely to miss President Biden’s May 25th deadline for bipartisan legislation on police reform.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Friday that while the White House has “confidence in the negotiators,” Biden would like the bill “as quickly as possible,” CNN reports.
Lawmakers involved in the legislation have yet to provide a concrete timeline as to when the bill will be finalized but have stressed that they would rather the bill be substantial than fast, Politico reports.
“We are not going to slow our efforts to get this done, but we can also be transparent about the fact that it’s going to take a little bit more time,” said Psaki.
The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which passed through the Democrat-majority congress in March, would ban chokeholds, carotid holds and no-knock warrants as well as create a national registry of police misconduct and put an end to qualified immunity for officers.
The act faces roadblocks in the Senate, where it would need 60 votes in order to become a filibuster. On Thursday, the house will enter a work period and not return to the Hill until June, making the May 25th deadline impossible.
President Joe Biden will host the family of George Floyd at the White House on Tuesday, one year after he was killed by police in Minneapolis.
Originally posted 2021-05-24 11:00:00.
